World History
"The Age of Discovery" Chapter-length article written in 1966 reviewing the literature on exploration. Includes references, by Wilcomb E. Washburn. This is a little dated but it is fun.
From the site:
"The Age of Discovery!" What visions the phrase conjures
up! Yet what confusion! The discovery of America by Columbus
reverently learned by schoolboys as one of the great and clearcut
accomplishments of history, is, when subjected to examination,
filled with uncertainty. What do we mean by "America"?
Columbus, until his dying day, believed that he had reached Asia.
Did he then discover "America" in the sense that we think of it?
Moreover, what do we mean by "discover"? Why do we honor
Columbus since the Norsemen reached the Western Hemisphere five
hundred years earlier? The number of plausible questions that
can be raised suggests the variety of possible interpretations
for every step of the process by which Europe expanded, not only
into the New World that we are accustomed to think of as its
particular concern, but into the old world of Asia that was, in
fact, its principal goal.
The expansion took place largely in the period of the
fifteenth through the eighteenth centuries, although it cannot be
bound strictly at either end of the time scale. Movement outward
from the western European peninsula took varied forms and shapes
as it proceeded by land and by sea throughout Europe, Asia, and
America. The result was a vast increase in power, wealth, and
knowledge for the tiny nation states of western Europe. As a
process, European expansion must be studied as a single
phenomenon, however difficult it may be for one man to comprehend
the myriad events, languages, motives, and consequences which
characterize it. Its origins in classical and medieval times,
its remarkable achievements in the fifteenth and sixteenth
centuries, and its impact during the more scientific and rational
eras of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries must all be
assessed in order to understand its significance. European
expansion was at once medieval and scientific, commercial and
spiritual, concerned with both East and West. This pamphlet,
therefore, will treat all the continents, oceans, and eras
involved in this Age of Discovery.
- Columbus Blamed For Little Ice Age
Christopher Columbus gets blamed for lots of things from being a poor manager to being one of the causes of the mass genocide in the new world. However, one thing he is not associated with is global climate change. Until now anyway... An article by Devin...
- Chicken Bones Suggest Polynesians Found Americas Before Columbus
Were Polynesians in South America before Columbus happened upon the Americas in 1492? Some evidence suggests this is the case. An article by Heather Whipps titled Chicken Bones Suggest Polynesians Found Americas Before Columbus has the details. Whipps...
- 1491 : New Revelations Of The Americas Before Columbus
1491 : New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus. I just finished reading this book by Charles C. Mann yesterday. I must say that it was both enjoyable and informative and it really made me think about my perceptions of what pre-1492 America was...
- Teaching About Western Europe
Teaching about Western Europe. This is an essay which details ways that teachers can instruct American students about European history. From the site: Despite the urgent need to address the very real concerns of today's minorities, the development...
- History Of Nations
History of Nations. This is a site which has a history of every nation on Earth. At least, every nation which is currently independent. (There is nothing on Welsh history for example.) This is an informative and easy to use site which I am sure I will...
World History
"The Age of Discovery"
"The Age of Discovery" Chapter-length article written in 1966 reviewing the literature on exploration. Includes references, by Wilcomb E. Washburn. This is a little dated but it is fun.
From the site:
"The Age of Discovery!" What visions the phrase conjures
up! Yet what confusion! The discovery of America by Columbus
reverently learned by schoolboys as one of the great and clearcut
accomplishments of history, is, when subjected to examination,
filled with uncertainty. What do we mean by "America"?
Columbus, until his dying day, believed that he had reached Asia.
Did he then discover "America" in the sense that we think of it?
Moreover, what do we mean by "discover"? Why do we honor
Columbus since the Norsemen reached the Western Hemisphere five
hundred years earlier? The number of plausible questions that
can be raised suggests the variety of possible interpretations
for every step of the process by which Europe expanded, not only
into the New World that we are accustomed to think of as its
particular concern, but into the old world of Asia that was, in
fact, its principal goal.
The expansion took place largely in the period of the
fifteenth through the eighteenth centuries, although it cannot be
bound strictly at either end of the time scale. Movement outward
from the western European peninsula took varied forms and shapes
as it proceeded by land and by sea throughout Europe, Asia, and
America. The result was a vast increase in power, wealth, and
knowledge for the tiny nation states of western Europe. As a
process, European expansion must be studied as a single
phenomenon, however difficult it may be for one man to comprehend
the myriad events, languages, motives, and consequences which
characterize it. Its origins in classical and medieval times,
its remarkable achievements in the fifteenth and sixteenth
centuries, and its impact during the more scientific and rational
eras of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries must all be
assessed in order to understand its significance. European
expansion was at once medieval and scientific, commercial and
spiritual, concerned with both East and West. This pamphlet,
therefore, will treat all the continents, oceans, and eras
involved in this Age of Discovery.
- Columbus Blamed For Little Ice Age
Christopher Columbus gets blamed for lots of things from being a poor manager to being one of the causes of the mass genocide in the new world. However, one thing he is not associated with is global climate change. Until now anyway... An article by Devin...
- Chicken Bones Suggest Polynesians Found Americas Before Columbus
Were Polynesians in South America before Columbus happened upon the Americas in 1492? Some evidence suggests this is the case. An article by Heather Whipps titled Chicken Bones Suggest Polynesians Found Americas Before Columbus has the details. Whipps...
- 1491 : New Revelations Of The Americas Before Columbus
1491 : New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus. I just finished reading this book by Charles C. Mann yesterday. I must say that it was both enjoyable and informative and it really made me think about my perceptions of what pre-1492 America was...
- Teaching About Western Europe
Teaching about Western Europe. This is an essay which details ways that teachers can instruct American students about European history. From the site: Despite the urgent need to address the very real concerns of today's minorities, the development...
- History Of Nations
History of Nations. This is a site which has a history of every nation on Earth. At least, every nation which is currently independent. (There is nothing on Welsh history for example.) This is an informative and easy to use site which I am sure I will...