Vocabulary
DIFFERENT KINDS OF BLADES
STONE
STONE BLADE
MASTODON
MASTODON TUSK
In 1492
Columbus sailed the Ocean Blue. That’s how the story was told to generations of
Americans. Without a doubt Columbus landed in the Bahamas in 1492 and made
three more trips to the New World including a visit to Cuba. His voyages paved
the way for European Exploration and colonization, changing the course of world
history. But did Columbus really discover America?
The answer
is, most likely, no. It is believed that millions of people lived in the
Americas before Columbus arrived. Ancestors of modern native Americans made
their way from Asia to North America over a land bridge formed during the last
Ice Age more than 12,000 years ago. In fact, Columbus probably wasn’t even the
first European to land in the Americas. That honor likely goes to the Norse
explorer Leif Eriksson, whose famous father Erik The Red founded Greenland.
Eriksson
and his Viking crew made the North Atlantic crossing to Newfoundland in 1000
A.D. 492 years before Columbus made his trip. And he may not have been the only
explorer to reach the shores of America before Columbus.
Some
historians argue that the Chinese Admiral Zheng He sailed around the world some
70 years before Columbus, discovering America on the way. A recently discovered
map shows the complete outlines of both North and South America, supporting
this theory of early Chinese exploration. Other cultures claim to have explored
America even earlier. When ancient Hebrews fled Israel after the Babylonian
invasion of 600 B.C. some believe a group of them got all the way to America.
And an ancient stone blade found near a mastodon tusk near the mouth of the
Chesapeake Bay suggested a discovery story going all the way back to 22,000
B.C. That’s when some archeologists believe the mysterious stone age people,
known as the Solutreans, sailed from Europe to North America.
As time and
research continue to *reveal* new evidence, we will surely learn more about the
complicated truth behind the discovery of America. But no matter what, one
thing seems safe to say: it wasn’t Cristopher Columbus.
IN 1492
In fourteen hundred ninety-two
Columbus sailed the ocean blue.
He had three ships and left from Spain;
He sailed through sunshine, wind and rain.
He sailed by night; he sailed by day;
He used the stars to find his way.
A compass also helped him know
How to find the way to go.
Ninety sailors were on board;
Some men worked while others snored.
Then the workers went to sleep;
And others watched the ocean deep.
Day after day they looked for land;
They dreamed of trees and rocks and sand.
October 12 their dream came true,
You never saw a happier crew!
"Indians! Indians!" Columbus cried;
His heart was filled with joyful pride.
But "India" the land was not;
It was the Bahamas, and it was hot.
The Arakawa natives were very nice;
They gave the sailors food and spice.
Columbus sailed on to find some gold
To bring back home, as he'd been told.
He made the trip again and again,
Trading gold to bring to Spain.
The first American? No, not quite.
But Columbus was brave, and he was bright.
In fourteen hundred ninety-two
Columbus sailed the ocean blue.
He had three ships and left from Spain;
He sailed through sunshine, wind and rain.
He sailed by night; he sailed by day;
He used the stars to find his way.
A compass also helped him know
How to find the way to go.
Ninety sailors were on board;
Some men worked while others snored.
Then the workers went to sleep;
And others watched the ocean deep.
Day after day they looked for land;
They dreamed of trees and rocks and sand.
October 12 their dream came true,
You never saw a happier crew!
"Indians! Indians!" Columbus cried;
His heart was filled with joyful pride.
But "India" the land was not;
It was the Bahamas, and it was hot.
The Arakawa natives were very nice;
They gave the sailors food and spice.
Columbus sailed on to find some gold
To bring back home, as he'd been told.
He made the trip again and again,
Trading gold to bring to Spain.
The first American? No, not quite.
But Columbus was brave, and he was bright.
