Answer to Question #232625 in History for Nkululeko

Question

What difficulties do historians encounter in using Columbus’ journals and 16th-century European engravings as sources for understanding the encounter between European explorers and indigenous peoples of the New World c. 1492 (The Americas)? How would you advise historians to approach these sources?

Answer 1

The historians encounter the challenge of rebuilding the past concepts that past historians and Columbus have agreed. Historians are then challenged by the complication of the world, and thus try to find the use of their knowledge of the past to aid solve the problems of the present. They also had difficulty when they mistakenly believed that the Arawak were Indians. The questions that can provoke the historian are endless, and serious historians thus face the challenge of choosing a practical topic. Thorough study about these facts is therefore essential to enable the historians abolish the prevailing misunderstanding in their facts.