Why do people still say that Columbus discovered America when Native Americans where here before anyone?

They do still teach that, I work with youth. There may be some progressive schools but for the most part they are still teaching that Columbus discovered America. I mean we still have a Columbus day, which is revolting.

Why do they say that Columbus discovered America? Because if they didn't they would have to realize that they had no right to steal the land they are still stealing now. And they had no right to commit the horrible acts of genocide and cultural genocide.

AND to add more information to the equation. The land bridge theory is just a theory! There is little to no scientific evidence to back it up. In fact there is more scientific evidence that disproves the theory than there is in favor of it. Scientists, scholars, and common citizens just believe in the land bridge theory on blind faith. No one looks into the science of it anymore.

Why? Because they created the theory so they wouldn't have to feel bad about their history of stealing these lands. I mean if Natives came here just before the Europeans then they both had equal right to the land. Well, it's hooey. For more information on this please read "Red Earth White Lies" by Vine Deloria Jr.

And thank you for asking this question. No healing can begin until this fact becomes realized.

According to some archaeological evidence,native americans could have been from europe as well as asia,and there is positive proof that the Norse were here before the columbus deal,and it's quite likely that the Basques were here during the middle ages,as well as a documented English iron mine in Newfoundland during the late middle ages.There is evidence of Chinese anchor stones found off the california coast dating from the twelth century...but the tendency of some scholars to claim Columbus discovered America is based on documentation and colonization-it would be more correct to say Columbus colonized,and enslaved America.

my nation doesn't have any such story although i've heard some white missionaries try to spread the lie that we do. they are so good at it that today many people actually believe natives have stories about a white man who promised to return some day. nope..just lies told by missionaries. and for the record, columbus didn't discover ****.

Columbus was the first white person (if you don't count the vikings that discovered America first) that discovered America and as we all know white people made history.

People don't say Columbus discovered America anymore...unless they are my grandpa who went to school 50 yrs ago :P

He wasn't even the first European, the vikings were. Columbus was a murdering Christian zealot.

well i discovered chicken curry at this cool new restaurant near my house. it's been there for a long time, but i personally found it yesterday.

so...my point is...for EUROPEANS...he discovered it. THEY didn't know about it before him, i don't think people are trying to imply that it didn't exist before columbus. they simply mean he found it for "us" (the majority of americans whose families come from europe)

It is true that the Indians were here first, but they didn't tell anybody about it! The same goes for the Vikings. So, Columbus wasn't the first, but he did find it on his own.

Even if they hadn't been, Columbus never actually made it to the American mainland; he only got as far as San Salvador or one of those islands.

This is what kills me

Maybe he discovered it for the rest of Europe since they were so behind and thought the world was only half of what it is

The Indians didn't really discover anything, they simply followed a trail of woolly mammoth dung and ended up here.

Columbus, on the other hand, was actually on a voyage of discovery, looking for a shorter route to the Indies.

So he did actually 'discover' something, wasn't what he was looking for but it turned out pretty good in the end.