How Did Christopher Columbus Impact Society

Words: 688
Pages: 3

Comprehension:

As Zinn states, “This was to have enormous consequences …. because it insisted that they guide him to the source of the gold … The aim was clear: slaves and gold. They went from island to island in the Caribbean, taking Indians as captives” (pg.3). Evidently, Columbus and his crew had two clear objectives, which were slaves and gold. Subsequently, Columbus enslaved the native people and forced them to led him to a source for gold.
According to Zinn, he states that, “In 1676 … colony faced a rebellion of white frontiersmen, joined by slaves and servants … “ (pg. 38). The Bacon’s Rebellion was a rally of poor, discontent, white indigenous servants who were joined by black slaves, in order to overthrow the existing societal
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It wasn’t until high school was I truly introduced to a far more detailed account of who Columbus was as individual and the atrocities that he had committed in his time. In terms of U.S. history, I do see a polarizing difference between the information taught to elementary and high school students. For instance, in my experience, many of my textbooks that I have read in elementary largely only touched on Columbus’ achievements and why his discovery matters. While textbooks for my high school history courses further elaborated on the horrific crimes that he had done.

If I were to create a history curriculum for K-12, I would gradually introduce a more detailed overview for topics such as genocides and war crimes in higher education courses for high school students. I do believe that it would be only appropriate to teach such information when the students are at the right age. I would also use reputable textbooks or books that are free from bias and instances of glorification. Moreover, I would use credible documentaries to supplement the materials