American History Week 2 Evidence of Pre Columbus Exploration of the Americas

Prompt: “Why do you think the information that I have covered in the first ten lessons is not covered in American history textbooks in high school or college?”

In the first ten lessons we talked in depth about theories stating that Christopher Columbus was not the first to link the eastern hemisphere with the western. There have been numerous inscriptions found on ancient stones referencing Celtic, Hebrew, and Christian theologies that date back far before Columbus. These pieces of evidence seem to hint that not only were their pre Columbus explorers, but that they communicated with and left a lasting impact on the native Americans.

Prior to these discoveries historians insisted on the theory that Columbus was first. Then they revised this thesis, saying that vikings had landed on American soil but had left shortly after without making any real impact. But these stone inscriptions should force historians to take another look at the issue. The gravitas of this discovery could completely rewrite the way we think about ancient exploration, the intertwining of eastern and western cultures, and Europe’s previously assumed dominance over uncharted terrain.

So the question is: why aren’t historians making a big deal out of this? Its potential is unmatched by any other pre Columbus discoveries, and it could be extremely eyeopening towards what actually unfolded in our countries history. But historians do not seem especially interested, and I would think there to be several reasons why.

The first is a basic human flaw: pride. Many historians have spent their lives work dedicated to detailing Columbus’s achievements. They’ve risen the ranks in the historical world, climbing the ladder high enough that their work is now displayed within every basic history textbook. They’re satisfied with their findings; their reputation, name, and lives work will now be held on a pedestal of unquestionable historical knowledge. That is, until a discovery like this comes along and threatens to rewrite the textbooks they spent so long refining. Not only that, it could also discredit a hefty chunk of their research. This leads to many historians preferring to sweep it under the rug and keep their personal studies as the “accurate” historical account.

Another reason these new discoveries have not gone entirely mainstream is that there is no organized written thesis displaying all the details and theories about these stone inscriptions. There are short essays about them scattered around the internet, but one would have to do a decent amount of research to link them all together. Its almost as if these discoveries were unearthed just to be buried again, but instead of under dirt they were buried within the “hypothetical” descriptions of the internet.

The last reason behind this historical cover-up is what fuels most historical cover-ups: money. It would take a lot of time and money to bring these new discoveries to light. Add on the fact that this could discredit many major historians, and that no one has taken the time to properly stitch all the facts of this case together and you’ve got a historical thesis ripe to be swept under the rug.

Its a shame really, but there is an upside. That is if a brilliant historian came along who cared more about the truth than about the textbook writers pride this could be the case of a lifetime. This could really make a name for someone, a name built on the foundation of truth, justice, and righteous integrity. For the sake of our children’s education, and the accurate story behind our country and our world I hope that brilliant historian raises their head from the sand and takes a bite of this case. Because if you ask me, this case is pretty damn juicy.