"Teaching the Quincentenary" by: Glenn T. Curry in: Encounters (Spring 1990, pp. 23-24) "But Mr. Curry," the seventh graders objected as I demon- strated the outlines of Columbus's first voyage, "I thought he discovered America in 1492." I could always count on this response, for the one historical fact that every student seems to know is the name and date of the Discovery, memorized at an early age with a bit of doggerel about the "ocean blue." The central problem, of course, is the average youngster's concept of America and of the world. For most of them, America is a place dis- covered by Columbus, settled by Pilgrims, freed by George Washington, and governed by George Bush. The rest of the world looks very much like the famous New Yorker cover vaguely showing Russia and China on the other side of the Hudson River. In an educational system where United States history is typically the only history course required during the high school years, this parochial outlook is unlikely to be altered without a determined effort to influence social studies curricula and teachers at every level of primary and secondary education. The approaching Quincentenary celebration offers an unprecedented opportunity for the historical profession to recapture the interest of the American public, both in and out of the schools. The life and voyages of the Admiral of the Ocean Sea offer the elements of drama and heroism which exercise a perennial fascination for young minds, while the events of 1492 can provide a springboard for considering the whole range of changes that have grown out of the linking of the Old and New Worlds. Seventh graders, however, are not the only people in our society who can be accused of having a parochial viewpoint. Professionals--whether educators or historians--are often limited in perspective and capacity to communicate with outsiders. Professional historians write primarily for other professional historians about subjects of little apparent universal interest, often in language which seems incomprehensible to the general public. Professional educator, too, have their own language which serve to exclude non- professionals from their debates. As a result, most social studies teachers are more likely to read journals related to the teaching profession than those dealing with history, while many historians are more concerned with writing for a narrow group of peers than with engaging the public at large in a consideration of historical issues. The isolation of historians and social studies teachers from each other and from the broader society is a situation which a well planned Quincentenary celebration could go far toward correcting. A new dialogue between social studies educators and professional historians would be a healthy first step toward uniting the whole of society in ongoing discussion and debate of historical questions. How can we use the occasion of the Quincentenary to remind the general public of the fascina- tion of history and of its importance to understanding the world in which we are living? One step would be to ensure that the elements of dramatic narrative are not forgotten. Another would be to focus on some of the broader issues inherent in any con- sideration of the linking of the continents. Was the discovery of America something which ought to be celebrated? If so, by whom? What was the world like in 1492 and how was it changed by the Discovery? What ecological changes were caused? How did the Discovery affect the way people thought? How much do we really know about the past, and how do we know it? During the next few years, historians should demand opportunities to address educators and the general public on matters of fact, inter- pretation, and methodology. Universities should encourage history departments to give the same credit for the writing of popular history as for the writing of scholarly monographs addressed to professional colleagues. Journals for teachers of primary grades as well as for teachers of secondary school social studies should be filled with articles by historians interested in preparations for the Quincentenary. In what follows, I would like to suggest some of the topics and activities which have grown out of my own teaching on Columbus in a seventh grade European history course during the past few years. Many of the same activities have worked equally well with classes of high school seniors. My hope in offering these suggestions is that they may provide a basis for further discussions of how the Quincentenary should be celebrated in the schools. Everyone likes a good story, and the tale of Columbus is one of the best. For that reason, I like to begin a unit on the Discovery with a class or two devoted to fairly straight narrative. I mention some of the areas of disagreement among historians and encourage students to ask questions of their own, but keep the focus on the telling of a story. Of course, most students have been carefully taught that Columbus was the first person to guess that the world was round, and thus they are amazed to hear that other Europeans were already aware of the approximate circumference of the globe and of the distance that would have been involved in sailing west from Europe to Asia. What else, they wonder, do we "know" that isn't true, and how do historians know what they say they do? These questions provide a recurring theme throughout the unit. Because 1492 is the single date in world history that is likely to carry some meaning for all my students, I have enjoyed using it as a starting point for a consideration of near contem- poraneous events which provide insight into changes taking place on the world scene. Once students have learned that Lorenzo di Medici died in 1492, they have a chronological context for considering the impact of the Italian Renaissance. Youngsters have frequently heard the names of Florentine writers and artists of the fifteenth century, yet have lacked a framework for con- sidering their achievements. Similarly, Ferdinand and Isabella's conquest of the kingdom of Granada in the same year offers an opportunity to review the Muslim influence on the development of European civilization. The expulsion of the Jews from the Spanish kingdoms in 1492 comes as a surprise and shock to most students, while those who have attended Hebrew School are delighted to encounter their own "special" history in a school setting. As students move through a consideration of the con- tributions of Jews and Muslims to Spanish society and of the impact of their expulsion, we inevitably find ourselves engaged in a discussion of the benefits and strains of living in a society of racial, cultural, and religious diversity. At this point, I frequently assign students to write essays either opposing or defending the Spanish monarchs' actions. Some of the essays are read aloud in class and they often reflect the students' emerging attitudes about the nature of society. In order to encourage further exploration of these attitudes, I next divide the class into teams to prepare for a formal debate. Because I assign the teams, I can ensure that a substantial portion of the class will have to oppose the position they took in their original essays. An eagerness to "win" the debate will inspire far more research and rethinking than any instructions from the teacher. The question of cultural diversity in fifteenth-century Spain can establish a framework for discussing the contributions of various groups to the development of the Americas as well as to the rest of the post-1492 world. In preparation for this discussion, we complete our review of the world in 1492 with students' reports on topics such as the maritime expeditions mounted by Ming China in the early fifteenth century, the Turkish conquest of Constantinople, the Songhai empire of West Africa, or feudalism in Japan. The purpose of these reports is to encourage students to recognize the vitality and diversity of non-European cultures, in an effort to counter- act the common perception of a world which waited passively for the arrival of "modern" European civilization. This part of the unit can be reinforced visually by requiring each student to prepare a poster illustrating an important achievement of the civilization on which they are reporting. We next turn our attention to the cultures of the pre-conquest Americas. Students have usually had some exposure to aspects of Native American life within the present borders of the United States, but are surprised to learn of the great variety of pre-Columbian cul- tures. The notion that these cultures also had histories and experienced change is equally new to most students, who, if they have heard of Aztecs or Incas, think of them as timeless and static rather than as dynamic and growing empires within long traditions of complex civilizations. A new appreciation for American contributions to the rest of the world can be promoted by bringing into class a grocery bag full of foods unknown to Europe until the discovery of the New World. At this stage we turn to look at some of the results of the Discovery during the succeeding century. We might consider the impact of conquest and disease on Native American populations as well as the importance of the introduction of horses and other domesticated animals to the plains of North and South America. With regard to Africa, we must evaluate the results of the slave trade, yet we should also note the benefits of the introduction of maize and manioc. The refocus of the European economy toward the Atlantic and the new rivalries among the emerging European nations caused by competi- tion for American, African, and Asian products from the final topics of this segment. The unit ends with an overview of the cultural geography of the Americas today. We note that the United States is only one of some thirty American nations and that each of these nations represents a unique blend of peoples and influences from all parts of the globe. If time permits, students are again assigned research on particular countries or regions. They are told to focus on the question: What aspects of these American cultures derive from some European, African, or Native American tradition, and which represent innovations or adaptations to a specifically American context? By this point, students should have developed an awareness that the events of 1492 are of significance to world history, and not just as part of the history of the United States. They should also begin to appreciate the growing interdependence of all the peoples of the world and to value the study of history as a means of under- standing other cultures as well as their own. A summary exercise could be to assign an essay in which students answer the question, "Why is the five-hundredth anniversary of the discovery of America such an important date?" As they think about their responses to this question, students will again be required to analyze their own ideas and attitudes about historical inquiry. Perhaps some will even discover an interest in learning more. Permission granted by author. CURRY-01.ART