Moncton Forum

Who should take credit for "discovering" America? Any ideas?

Ever since Columbus's first voyage to the Americas in 1492, there has been evidence of earlier explorers long before. Much of this evidence has been put aside or forgotten simply because it does not fit the prevailing theories of human history. Most professionals in the field of archaeology scoff at the idea of pre-columbian contact without even bothering to study the evidence. Others, such as Barry Fell, who have studied the evidence of early explorers and went public with their findings are ridiculed for believing in such "nonsense".

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"Every dog is a lion at home" - Italian proverb
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50 Years of Space Age

I don't know who discovered America but I know who stayed there first. The Indians did. I know that because they always have reservations.

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Remember yesterday, respect tomorrow, live for today.

The Vikings did. They had settlements in parts of present-day Canada for a short while, but their presence in America went by quite unnoticed.

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Together we stand, Divided we fall.

thats true, but it was not documented in writing. Thats the problem.

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"Every dog is a lion at home" - Italian proverb
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50 Years of Space Age

Columbus may have discovered America for him-self, but how can you call something a discovery when the natives were already settled there.

Just went through the Oxford Canadian Dictionary and it says:
a. find out or become aware of, whether by research or searching or by chance. b. be the first to find or find out.
The use of the words discover and discovery in reference to Europeans' first contact with Aboriginal peoples in other continents is widely considered to be offensive to Aboriginal peoples.

Thanks to the Oxford canadian Dictionary, we're right back to where we started. The chicken or the egg.

If an aboriginal canoed for forty days in all points of the compass and didn't fall off the edge of the world and returned giddy-eyed to his people to describe his voyages and they decided on a name, would they not be the discoverers of their own land?

On the other hand...we have the European slant...we sailed blind for four to five weeks and ran aground on somewhere where the indigenous people have a society, hierarchy, corn, tobacco, potatoes, government/oligarchy....SO, ALL THEY HAVE TO DO IS, plant a sword or a flag in the beach and DECLARE THIS LAND IN THE NAME OF>......

Here in lies the rub! (did you know that the native north american Indians had "meat rubs"? A concoction of herbs and spices [sage, mint, etc.] mixed with various animal fats to season their game before cooking).

Oh, yes, the rub! Here are the natives...they know where they are. They have their name for it and all the hills and dales and rivers, streams, lakes....WHEN ALONG COMES THE EUROPEAN...

First thing you know, it's bright shiny beeds, trinkets, and a couple of steel edged knives and axes...I am not even going near the "religion" aspect...

Columbus may have discovered America, but it took a few plagues and many years (decades) of North American Army action to finaly make it very clear to the natives that they not only knew nothing, respected nothing and would receive nothing, and that it was Columbus that discovered America. BECAUSE HE WROTE IT DOWN IN A LANGUAGE UNDERSTOOD BY MORE EUROPEANS THAN NATIVES.

Sometimes the Canadian Oxford Dictionary hides its trueness, instead of telling it like it is.

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Nothing in life is so exhilerating as to be shot at without result. Winston Churchill

 i discovered America     the last time i finish my 40 0uncers of crown

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stupidity governs the world

So is there a difinitive answer to this question or are we still debating this. If you ask the Americans they'll say: Columbus, if you ask Canadians they say ...well you see...Jaque Cartier. (just kidding) but I think most Canadians do not know, only what they are told. Investigate for yourselves. For example mcdoug says: the Oxford dictonary says...well who cares what it say, what you say.

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It's no use saying, ''We are doing our best.'' You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary.