History's Linda Clemmons speaks on Columbus' controversial and complex discovery

As every schoolchild knows, in 1492, Columbus bravely sailed into the unknown.  After a harrowing voyage, he proved that the world was not flat and, more importantly, he discovered a “new world.”  Certainly, Columbus should be remembered for his skills as a sailor and navigator and for his astounding discovery.  Historians today, however, challenge this simple story of heroism on many different levels. 

For example, at the time Columbus set sail, educated peoples throughout Europe knew that the earth was round.  Indeed, this information had been known since the time of the ancient Greeks.  Some historians believe that this “flat earth” myth was created by the American author Washington Irving (the author of Rip Van Winkle) in his book entitled The Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus (1828).   

More important, indigenous peoples do not see Columbus’s “discovery” as cause for celebration or commemoration.  Instead, they condemn Columbus for starting a process that resulted in the spread of diseases such as small pox, warfare, the destruction of their villages, economies, and culture, and widespread death.  During the 500th celebration of Columbus’s voyage, native peoples demanded that the catastrophic consequences of his arrival in the Americas be written into the historical record.  These two short examples, and many more, show Columbus’s voyage is much more complex and controversial than the simplistic image taught to school children.

To interview Clemmons, e-mail her at lmclemm@ilstu.edu or telephone her on Tuesdays or Thursdays at (309)438-8128.