My thesis is an historiographical analysis of American historical depictions of Christopher Columbus since the American Revolution. In short, it will show how Columbus came to be celebrated in American history and how the historical narratives that glorify him have concurrently dismissed the Indigenous erasure that he instigated. It was my goal to question the objective nature of the American historical field and the narratives that it produces. While Columbus has been historically idolized since the American Revolution, such narratives have perpetuated a perspective based on white powerful settler men for centuries. In doing so, the experiences of Indigenous peoples during Columbus's explorations and of Native Americans since the late-eighteenth century have largely been muted and dismissed. As historical celebrations of Christopher Columbus were adopted and constructed, instances of Indigenous erasure, brutality, and acts of violence occurred alongside them. My thesis aims to highlight the Native American experiences that challenge 'Columbian' idolatry and the narratives that it glorifies. I will show how unquestioned historical narratives distort the actions and responsibilities of figures such as Christopher Columbus to mask the harmful social structures that they perpetuate – such as settler colonialism.
As a result, it is my goal to show how Christopher Columbus is merely a case study of the shortcomings of the American historical field. Today, Columbus represents the extent to which American settler colonialism is understood and re-evaluated. To show how one-sided historical narratives produced distortions in American glorifications for Columbus and the Indigenous erasure that accompanies them is to show how history can fail to reflect the realities of the past. This is what my thesis will focus on by analyzing how Columbus has been absorbed into the American consciousness and how it has masked the Indigenous erasure that has occurred in tandem with historical celebrations of him.
"},{"label":"Degree","value":["Bachelor of Arts with Departmental Honors"]},{"label":"Administrative Note","value":"Drupal Node ID: 33880