When someone asks “Who discovered America?”, most likely you’ll think of Christopher Columbus. He landed in the Caribbean in 1492 on an expedition paid for by Spain. This expedition was one of many that linked Europe to the Americas.
The story gets a little more complex when it comes to the fact that there were millions of Native Americans living in the Americas for thousands of years before he arrived.
Also, it appears from historical evidence that other European explorers such as Leif Erikson also visited North America long before Christopher Columbus.
Therefore, depending upon how you interpret “discover”, will depend on whom you would say actually “discovered” America.”
Who Discovered America First?
The first people who discovered the America were not Europeans. Archaeologists have found proof that the first humans came to the Americas much earlier than European explorers, and over time they had migrated to all parts of both North and South America.
The indigenous people of the Americas are descended from those very early inhabitants of the Americas, therefore the indigenous people of the Americas, and thus all of the numerous different Native American tribes and nations that existed in the Americas for so long before the arrival of the first European explorers.
Science continues to investigate the date and way in which the earliest migration occurred. One theory that has been accepted by most scientists is that the earliest migrants crossed from northern eastern Asia through a land bridge (known as Beringia),
into North America during periods when there was less water covering the area because of low tides.
Over many thousand years, these migrants established native settlements throughout the Americas.
Did Christopher Columbus Discover America?
Christopher Columbus did not arrive at a new, unexplored, or uninhabited land. Millions of Native Americans inhabited the Americas when he landed in 1492.
Columbus was an Italian sailor who worked for King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. The objective of his voyage was to locate a “western” passage to Asia.
Columbus and his crew landed on an Island in the Caribbean (Probably located in the region now known as the Bahamas) on Oct. 12, 1492. He mistakenly thought they were near Asia and therefore named the native peoples “Indians”.
Columbus traveled multiple times across the Atlantic Ocean and established long-term relationships between Europeans and the inhabitants of the Americas. Ultimately, these early contacts by Columbus led to extensive travel, settlement, trade, conflict, and disease exchange between the Old World and New World.
Who Discovered America Before Columbus?
The example of the first Europeans to reach North America (before Columbus) are Norse explorer Leif Erikson.
Leif Erikson sailed west at the start of the 11th century according to Norse sagas.
Archaeology provides strong support for Norse exploration by providing physical archaeological evidence.
The best known site is L’Anse aux Meadows located in Newfoundland, Canada.
The archaeologists have identified the remnants of a Norse settlement there, including structures and objects associated with Viking activity.
The settlement was established nearly one thousand years prior to Columbus’ arrival in North America in 1492.
Therefore, based on this information alone and when referring to North American European explorers, the Norse were here first.
Why Is Columbus Still Famous?
Why is Christopher Columbus credited as the “discoverer” of America if the Vikings got there before him?
Christopher Columbus’s voyages had much greater impact than those of the Vikings. The time that Columbus traveled was an era where European monarchies were in competition over who could establish new trade routes and colonies outside their own country.
Thereafter, Columbus’s voyage inspired other Europeans to continue exploring and colonizing.
The interaction between Europe, Africa and the Americas has been called by some historians (the Columbian Exchange) one of the most significant exchanges of crops, animals, humans, technology, disease and ideas across the world in all of human history.
While the results were vast they were also disastrous for many Native American tribes. Many Native Americans died from diseases introduced by Europeans. Colonization led to warfare, displacement, slavery and destruction or alteration of existing cultures.
Therefore, while Christopher Columbus made a very important contribution to the development of modern society he can be considered a somewhat controversial historical figure.
Were There Other Explorers Before Columbus?
While the Norse were probably not the first Europeans to cross the Atlantic Ocean before Columbus, there are several different claims of earlier oceanic travel. However, these claims have very little supporting archaeological and/or historical evidence.
Some of the theories concerning earlier travel to the Americas suggest that other early travelers may have come to the Americas before the Norse.
Some researchers have investigated claims regarding sailors from Europe, Africa, and Asia who may have traveled to the Americas.
However, the burden of proof for extraordinary claims is substantial. Presently, the most clearly established archaeological evidence of a pre-Columbian European presence in North America is the Norse settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows.
Additionally, it is important to differentiate between arriving at a location and maintaining an ongoing relationship with that location.
While discovery can be indicative of either voyaging (to arrive), settling (establishing residence) and/or exchanging culture(s), this does not mean that the larger history of the Americas has changed.
What Does “Discover America” Really Mean?
.The term “who was the one who discovered America?” has its own problem, in that it implies that the Americas were unknown prior to arrival by Europeans.
In fact, there are extensive records of Indigenous cultures with sophisticated societies, economic systems, forms of government, religions, technology and trade networks dating back hundreds (and sometimes thousands) of years, long before 1492.
These include major civilizations such as the Maya, Aztecs, Incas, Mississippian Cultures and countless other Native Nations across the Americas.
Therefore, when we think about the question of whether or not the Americas were an empty continent awaiting discovery by Europeans, it is inaccurate to view them as anything less than inhabited continents with richly developed pasts.
One alternative way to consider this question would be to ask:
- Who was the first group of people to arrive at the Americas?
- Which groups of Europeans arrived in North America before Christopher Columbus?
- What did Christopher Columbus accomplish?
- How did European contact with the Americas affect those lands and their peoples?
These four additional inquiries will allow you to have a far greater understanding of what constitutes American History.
Columbus vs. Leif Erikson
The easiest way to compare these are as follows:
Indigenous Peoples: The indigenous people were the original settlers of the Americas when they originally inhabited it prior to the arrival of Europeans many hundreds of years prior to Leif Erickson’s voyage.
Leif Ericson (and the Norse): The Norse reached North America approximately 1000 years prior to Christopher Columbus.
Christopher Columbus: Christopher Columbus traveled through the Caribbean in 1492 which led to the start of a long term European presence on the American continents.
Who Really Discovered America?
There isn’t an answer that can fit each definition of “the discovery” of “America”.
If you refer to the people who were the first to arrive in America as inhabitants, then it would have been the earliest relatives of Native Americans.
If you refer to the earliest Europeans to document their establishment of a settlement in North America (which is supported by the archaeology), then it would be the Norse people.
If you are referring to the European explorer with the most well known voyages that established long term contact between Europe and the Americas, then it would be Christopher Columbus.
In summary, while the question asks “who discovered America?”, there wasn’t one person that discovered America. People lived on the continents for thousands of years before Columbus arrived;
Furthermore, many centuries prior to Columbus’ most famous voyage of 1492, the Norse explored North America.