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Rethinking Columbus

Edited by Bill Bigelow and Bob Peterson

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For too long the story of Christopher Columbus "discovering" the Western hemisphere has been one-sided. Fortunately, in recent years, this has begun to change. History, like most everything else, is rarely black and white (no pun intended.) Rethinking Columbus replaces the legend, providing a more multicultural, balanced analysis, drawing together a wealth of resources and representing a range of perspectives.

The legend of Columbus is often the first exposure children have about encounters of different races and ethnicities. This myth perpetuates the notion of the brave, adventuresome Europeans while ignoring the subjugation of the Native Americans by Columbus and other "discoverers." Rethinking Columbus challenges traditional accounts, providing students with a more realistic view of history.

Rethinking Columbus offers an array of sources, ideas and teaching strategies to help inform students in a meaningful, interesting, engaging way. This book provides the means for teachers to change the way they approach the subject. As seen in our last session, highly effective assignments are those that show social dynamics to students, rather than having simply read or speaking about them. Role playing and simulation do this well (though, clearly, meaningful reading, lecturing and whole class activities play an integral role as too.)

I decided to review the article, The Tainos "Men of the Good", by Jose Barreiro (pp. 106-107) since I know almost nothing about Columbus and his "exploration" of the Caribbean. The article describes the Taino culture prior to the arrival of Columbus and his men. The author depicts important values, language, appearance, health, and a lifestyle based on wise use of the