Columbus didn't "Discover" anything. Seriously. The NA Continent was already discovered.

[dballance]

15. What Columbus "discovered" was ALREADY a major center of civilization and learning.

Correct me if I'm wrong here - and I well could be so do correct me. I don't ever recall learning that the Europeans "discovered" Asia. Only that we more or less met another set of civilizations with whom we established trade. I believe the Asian peoples buildings and formal society that resembled European and Mediterranean societies, was not considered to be primitive as we considered the indigenous peoples of the Americas to be.

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I think we would understand it to be offensive if we said some European "discovered" Asia with its already established societies and cultures and that's why I don't think we say that or are taught that. So it's similarly offensive to say the indigenous peoples with their already established languages, cultures and religions were "discovered." Just my 2 cents.