Rethinking Columbus on Columbus Day
When I was a kid, American history was presented in very clear --albeit unrealistic -- terms. There were the good guys and the bad guys. Columbus, at that time, was invariably in the camp of the good guys--though no one bothered to ask any native Americans if they agreed with that interpretation.
Now, things have changed considerably as many teachers aim to present a more balanced perspective of what happened. Not unexpectedly, this has led to a whole new vocabulary for describing what occurred.
