Hey guys! Based on what we've learned so far in class and the reading in your book on pages 22-29, respond to the following question for you first blog discussion by Monday 9/7/2009:
1. Was North America 'discovered'? Is it accurate to label the land explored by the Europeans the 'New World'? Why or why not? Defend your response(s).
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North America was not technically "discovered" because there were already people living there. It is not accurate to label the land explored by the Europeans the "New World" because it wasn't new, the Europeans just didn't know that it was there yet. However, the Native Americans did know that it existed, so it was therefore not a new place.
ReplyDeleteWoot second post
ReplyDeleteNorth America was discovered just not by Europe. In scientific theory the people there had migrated from Asia via the Bering Strait.
The Europeans thought it was and labeled it the "New World" because they were new to it and have never been there. Even though I don't think it would be politically correct to call it the new world in these times because we now know that it wasn't the new world, it was just a new continent that the dumb Europeans found because of a crazy italian guy.
(Can we swear on here?)
It depends on the point of view that you take. To the Europeans, it was new, but to the natives it was all that they had ever known, so to them it was not a "New World" Also, it had previously been "discovered" by the Norse Vikings.
ReplyDeleteIt is accurate to say that North America was discovered by Europeans and even to label the land as the 'New World', even though Native Americans were here at the time. It is accurate to say this because Europeans were the first ones to make the location of the new continent known throughout the world. It is because of the Europeans that people could migrate to America creating what it is today. Native American tribes such as the Mohawks and Hurons were in America but they did not have any ships to spread the information about the continent with, in fact the only way they could travel was by walking or by canoeing. So, without the Europeans, America might still be unknown today.
ReplyDeleteTo me personly, you can't discover anything if people are already living there. How can this be discovering somthing if you can see people that have lived there their whole life?
ReplyDeleteAnd no, no you can't corerctly label this land (America)the 'New World' because its not even new. The Native Americans have lifed here hundreds, or maybe even thousands of years before the english came.
The might of named this place the new world because it was new to them, and it was a vast area, filled with new, and exciting things, that might have been the same back home in england, but no, deffinitly not can you call this the 'new world'.
It was a New World to the Europeans because, they had never known it was there before. It was a New World for the Native Americans as well when they crossed the ice bridge. So in that case the Europeans did not discover the New World it was the Native Americans because they had found and gotten there befor the Europeans. No it is not accurate to label the land explored by the Europeans the New World because, as I stated before the Native Americans had been there first so technically they explored first.
ReplyDeleteNorth America was discovered, by the Native Americans when they followed there food across the ice bride, so because they got there before the Europeans did, they technically discovered it. It is not accurate to label the land as explored by the Europeans because, as i stated before the Native Americans were the first ones to get onto this country so they are the true finders/explorers.
ReplyDeleteIt depends on your point of view. I understand the Naive Americans were on North America before the europeans even showed up. But even though the native americans were there,if christopher columbus never came how would anyone ever know about it? Its like seeing a whole land of woods and people go hiking in it but nobody really knows about it until someone claims it. Even though people we already going there no one claimed the land.
ReplyDeleteI think that america was not "discovered" because people were already here and in my opinion it was more along the lines of an invasion. However, in a way it is accurate to label the land explored by the Europeans the "New World" because to them it was a new world.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that the "New World" was discovered because the Native Amercians lived in America way before the Europeans knew about the it. For the Europeans it was just an unknown land.
ReplyDeleteI think that American wasn't discovered because there had already been people living there before the Europeans found it. Technically, the people living there before discovered it but just didn't get the credit for it. It isn't accurate to label the land explored by the Europeans the 'New World' because it wasn't really new, except for to them.
ReplyDeleteI think that North America was not discovered because there were already people living there. It isn't accurate to label the land explored by the Europeans the 'New World' because since people were already living there it isn't actually new. It was although new to the Europeans because they had never been there before.
ReplyDeleteNorth America was not exacly "discovered" because the Native Americans were already living on the land. How can a place that people already live on be discovered; in my opinion it simply can't. So therefore it's not accurate to label the land explored by the Europeans the "New World". Even though this land was new to the Europeans it wasn't their discovery; it was the Native Americans who were already living on the land, ones who discovered it.
ReplyDeleteThe word "discover" means to see, get knowledge of, learn of, find, or find out; gain sight or knowledge of something previously unseen or unknown (definition from dictionary.com, based on the Random House Dictionary). According to this definition, America was not discovered by the Europeans because it was not previously unseen or unknown. The Native Americans were the first people there, so technically, they discovered America.
ReplyDeleteI do not think it is accurate to label the land the "New World" because it wasn't new when they found it. I understand that it was new to them because they had never been there before, but it wasn't their land to name in the first place. However, say if the land had been uninhabited and empty when the Europeans landed there, and they wanted to call it the "New World", that would have been accurate because it would have actually been new. This, however, was not the case. It wasn't new, so they shouldn't have named it the "New World".
North America was indeed discovered by the Europeans due to fact that they had never previously known of America. Dictionary.com defines the word,"discovered" as, "To be the first, or the first of one's group or kind, to find, learn of, or observe." In this case the "first group" was the Europeans, so the natives, even with many civilizations, were not included in this statement. Which means that the Americans (Natives) at that time were also considered "discovered" in the eyes of the europeans.
ReplyDeleteTo label the land as the "New World" is an accurate term to use because the entire continent of America was completely new to the Europeans. In addition, dictionary.com's definition of the word new is, " of a kind now existing or appearing for the first time;." This "discovery" was the first time that America appeared to the world. Therefore, the term "new world" is accurate.
Looks like we have a pretty interesting debate going as to the meaning of 'discover' and 'new world'...well done.
ReplyDeleteNorth American was discovered by the Europeans. The Natives were, as called, "Native" to their land, meaning they didn't discover it. So the Europeons discovered the Americas. But at the same time, this massive contenent was not even close to being the "new world." This is a fairly easy question to answer because of the Natives. These Nort Americans were rightfully the first people of North America, and they've been there, and adapted to it's climate, since the world was still breaking into the 7 continents.
ReplyDeleteNorth America was discovered by the Europeans, but their "discovery" was not actually a discovery of the land and of the people but a forceful invasion, to take over the American land,the natives and to look for gold. The term "new world" does not apply to North America because the land area is not actuallly new to the world but to the Europeans. The Native Americans already knew about the land because they were living on it meaning that the land was not new. If no one was living on the land then I believe you could state that the American land was a "new world."
ReplyDeleteSorry, I don't know if my first one went in the post because it didn't appear, so I'm going to write another one. The Eupropeans did discover America but their "discovery" was a forceful invasion to take over land, the natives and look for gold. If it was a true discovery they would have discovered and explored the natvies a dthe land not take them all over. It is not an accurate label to call America the "new world" because the land is not new to the world but just to the Europeans, the natives already lived there.If no one was living on the land I believe that the term "new world" could be used if no one was living on the land.
ReplyDeleteIn the perspective of the Europeans, America was discovered in 1492. In the perspective of the Native Americans, it was invaded. Considering the fact that the events of history can be twisted by whoever has pen in hand, it all depends on which side you would rather look from. However, I do not personally believe that the label "new world" correctly describes the Americas. Yes, the land was new to settlers and those aboard the ships of Columbus, but, no the land itself was not in fact new. To someone America was a home and just because one ethnicity had not heard of it yet, does not mean it did not previously exist. If someone buys a used car, but did not realize that the car was used, that does not change the fact that someone already owned it. The absence of knowlege does not change the facts, it just clouds them.
ReplyDeleteWhatever issue happened to Kelly, appears to have happened to me. If two responses show up, I appologize.
ReplyDeleteIn the perspective of the Europeans, the Americas were discovered in 1492. In the perspective of the Native Americans, it was invaded. Considering the events of history can be twisted depending on whoever has pen in hand, it is just a matter of which way you look at it. However, I do not believe that the term "new world" applys to the Americas. To those aboard the ships of Christopher Columbus, the land was new. To the Native Americans, the land was a home. If a person buys a used car but is unaware of the fact that the car was previously owned, that does not make the car any less used. The absense of knowlege does not change the facts, it just clouds them.
I have to approve the comments before they are posted so maybe that's why you aren't seeing them right away?
ReplyDeleteNorth America cannot be considered ‘discovered’ by the Europeans because they were not the people who found it. It is proven that Native Americans had already lived there for thousands of years, making them the ones who had originally discovered the land. However, it is accurate to label the land explored by the Europeans the ‘New World’ because it was believed to be new to them. North America was a place they had never seen before where they could settle. Therefore, it was a new and different place for the Europeans.
ReplyDeleteNorth America was not technically discovered by the Europeans. The Native Americans had already founded North America. If Columbus never landed there then nobody would really know about North America. However, it is accurate to labeled "New World" because in the European's view they discovered it and thought it was a new world, but to the Native Americans it was invaded by the Europeans.
ReplyDeleteI would have to say that america shouldnt be named the new world because there were already people living on the continent. If someone has already settled upon this land then its obviously been discovered. Just because somebody brought the information back to europe doesnt mean its newly founded. In my opinion i have to say that the americas were not the new world, its incorrect to call them that.
ReplyDeleteNorth America was not discovered by Columbus, if there were already people there.To Europeans the new world was new and unexplored to them, but it was not discovered for the first time.
ReplyDeleteYes North America was discovered. But by the Europeans? No! Native Americans had already been living there for thousands of years before Christopher Columbus and his shipmates decided to invade it and turn it into something else. Therfore I do not think it is acurate to call for the Europeans to be able to call North America the "New World". To me that seems like the same thing as buying something new that has others just like it that have been around for years and calling it "new" just because you got one.
ReplyDeleteNorth America was actually discovered according to the exact definition. Europeans stumbled on to this land that they didn't know was there, but it depends on whos veiw point we are talking about... I agree with my fellow student Jessica ;)
ReplyDeleteOnce again it all depends on whos view points you are looking at. For the Native Americans it's not a "New World" but for Europeans it is.
ReplyDelete"When Europeans of the sixteenth century first learned of North and South America, they talked about "discovering a new world." But these lands were not new to the people already living there."
ReplyDeleteThe definition of discover reads:
"to see, get knowledge of, learn of, find, or find out; gain sight or knowledge of (something previously unseen or unknown)"
--The reason why this is important is because the Europeans Settlers can say that they did indeed discover America. However naming it was wrong because they didn't discover first. Despite the quote above the book said near the lands they had arrived in near eight tribes were already established nearby. Also Native Americans already had their own culture having distinct clothing, tools, food, shelter, customs, and language. They had their own way of life which gave them the right to be "first" to discover it and thusly the Europeans should not have labeled it.
I don't think that North American was discovered, yes it was new to the Europeans but it was not new to the Natives. This should not be classified as a discovery because one definition of discover is to be the first to find something. So technically the Europeans were not the first to find the land that the Natives lived on, and calling it the 'New World' would be wrong as well, because of the fact that it wasn't new it has been there for a long time. Just because the europeans didnt know about it doesnt mean it is new. So in recap the Europeans did not discover North America because there were already natives here and there were many other groups of people that stopped here before the Europeans, and it isnt accurate for them to lable it the 'new world' because it wasnt new.
ReplyDeleteIt is safe to say that North America was discovered. It can be argued that the Native Americans already lived in North America and there for North America was already discovered. However you do not say that you discovered the place you were born, you've known about it all your life. Columbus was the first person to discover North America and inform the rest of the world of its presence. However calling North America the "New World" was not the most correct name for it. While North America did seem like a completly different world to Columbus, the land had been there long before he showed up. North America was not just created in front of him as he was sailing. However by calling North America the New World, Columbus is, whether intentionally or not, implying this. That is why while Columbus can say he discovered North America, it is improper to call it the "New World."
ReplyDeleteAmerica was not "discovered" by the Europeans. There were people living there for thousands of years before the Europeans "discovered" it, the Native Americans.
ReplyDeleteThe land that the Europeans "discovered" could be called the New World because it was new to them. I understand them calling it the New World but they should have communicated with the Natives to accurately name the land the name the Natives used. But the Europeans definitely did not "discover" it!
North America was not "discovered" due to the fact that there were already Native Americans living there. The Europeans can label the land they discovered as the "New World" because they had never been there before.
ReplyDeleteI think it depends on what one considers discover for the discovery of the "new world." Obviously there were Native Americans already there long before the settlers. A theory suggests that people came across Asia to America using the Bering Strait many years before the settles, which came to be Indians. Also these Natives were known to have strong farming skills, a belief in a god like being and in their own groups laws to live by. These groups of Indians had what seemed to be sucessful societies and it appears they had every component to live as a society. Therefor I do not feel that with the Europeans discovery they made it possible for there to be life on this new land, becasue there already was. However, these natives did not have the ships to sail to the rest of the world, and they were content with there own land. With the Europeans they may not have been the first ones on the land, but they made it known to the rest of the world. So in a way they discovered the new land and made it public to the world, but they were not the ones to first have lives on this new land.
ReplyDeleteNorth America was not dicovered because their was already Native americans living on the land that was supposed to be "discovered".Also the Europeans can say the land they found the New World because the land was new to them
ReplyDeleteI dont think north america was discovered because the native americans were there first. I think the europeans can label the land "new world" because they had never been there and they think they "discovered" it.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that North America was “discovered”, and should be labeled as the “New World”. To discover, is to be to be the first, or the first of one's group or kind to find something. This means, at some point, the Indians discovered America for the human race. There, the natives established an entire, new civilization- filled with unique religions, languages, and customs. It is fair to say that North America can be called the “New World”. To the Europeans who declared North America the New World, it truly was a place they had never ventured, nor did they have the knowledge of its existence.
ReplyDeleteIt is true, that when the Europeans arrived in America, the land was entirely new to them. The Europeans had no idea that this enormous mass of land even existed. Therefore, it was a "new world" to them and it is fair for them to label it so. However, North America was certainly not "discovered" by the Europeans primarily because people were already living here. The land had been discovered thousands of years earlier by the Native Americans.
ReplyDeleteNorth America was not discovered by the Europeans because Native Americans had already occupied those grounds for thousands of years before the Europeans even ventured into the "new world." It is believed by archaeologists that North America had already been occupied for over 20,000 years by humans moving from Asia to North America. The natives who inhabited North America had already found ways of survival for themselves. They had invented a way of agriculture to provide themselves with food and have also begun the formation of small villages to create shelters for themselves. Europeans may consider North America to be a "new world" for them, but as far as the initial discovery of North America, Europeans did not make this discovery. By the time they got there, the natives had already existed on the land for thousands of years. The Europeans were simply too late.
ReplyDeleteIt is true that when the Europeans arrived in North America, the land was unknown to much of the world. It was a "new world" to the Europeans and, therefore, it is acceptable for the land to have been labled as such. However, North America was certainly not "discovered" by the Europeans, primarily because there were already people living here when the Europeans arrived. Although they made America known to the rest of the world, they were not the first to discover the land. The Native Americans had discovered the land thousands of years prior.
ReplyDeleteNo America was not discovered by the Europeans. There were already people living there before Europeans landed. When they first landed ofcourse it was a "new world" for everyone because nobody new they excisted before. So its wrong to say that America was discovered and especially from the Europeans because Native Americans were there thousands of years before.
ReplyDelete1. Was is "discovered," well put it in the perspective of the Indians. If the Indians had made a ship and found Europe, to them it would have been discovered to their race because all of a suddenly a new part of world would be opened up and play a role in their lives. This is what happened to the Europeans. Just because there was people living there doesn't mean it wasn't discovered.
ReplyDelete2.Can you label North America at that time the new world? Well after reading some posts that say its not a new world I can see their point of veiw. Technically its not a whole different planet but put in this perspective. If today we found a civilization that was living underground lets call them the mole people, im pretty sure we would call it a new world cause it was so different from our society. Refering to the term "new world" to define an area that is radically different from that persons normal habitat. This is how the Europeans felt as if they had landed on a whole different planet.
Before we draw conclusions about the discovery and exploration of this land, we need to observe a span of different perspectives. We most certainly know Christopher Columbus as an explorer, one who is credited with the "discovery" of the "new world", or North America as we know it. As evident in the piece we read arguing against Columbus, others believe that he is a tyrant, one who dictated over the Indians. We should also draw out the perspective of the Europeans, one most likely of surprise which uncannily affected the proposal and initial report of “discovery” in their point of view. On the other hand, we have the Indians and how they were affected by the exploration of the land they already knew as home. In conclusion we can obviously concur that to the Europeans this was most certainly a discovery, but overall proclaiming Christopher as a hero and giving the discovery of this new land is an overstatement.
ReplyDeleteNorth America was discovered by the Native Americans, and that it is not accurate for the Europeans to label North America the New World. North America was discovered by the Europeans. They had not known of North America before, therefore, they "discovered" this New World. All of this is from the European perspective of the times. From the point-of-view of the Native Americans, then they discovered North America long before the Europeans, and cannot be labeled the New World. If looking at it from a neutral third party, then, clearly North America was discovered by Native Americans and was not a New World.
ReplyDeleteNorth America was discovered by Christopher Columbus. Yes its true that there were already people living here but before Columbus, no one else even knew that it existed. I also think that it IS accurate to label the land explored by Europeans the new world because although it was not new to the Native Americans, it was new to the rest of the world. It was technically undiscovered land and it filled in a blank spot on the map.
ReplyDeleteNorth America was never really discovered, Native Americans were there way before the Europeans. The Europeans, much less Columbus, never "discovered" something that was already there, or that other's already knew of.
ReplyDeleteNorth America was never discovered by Europeans. The Native Americans were there way before anyone else got there. It is not technically right for Columbus calling it 'The New World' because it was only new to the Europeans, not the Native Americans.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that North America was discovered by Europeans. This continent wasn't empty when it was "discovered" There was already people and to a certain point civilization established.
ReplyDeleteNorth America was not discovered by the english. The native americans had already been there for hundreds of years. Discovering means to be the first one there. Which is incorrect because the natives had already found or been there before the english. When the english or europeans came to the americas the native were already settled and surviving. The natives were there first and discovered it.
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