In 2025
Today, schools, banks and other federal agencies were closed. When I was in grade school our bulletin boards displayed a profile of Christopher Columbus and the stenciled letters, In 1492, Columbus Sailed the Ocean Blue . Silhouettes of his three sailing ships, The Nina, the Pina and the Santa Maria were artfully stapled in three corners. I later learned that Leif Erickson discovered America centuries before Columbus arrived though I never did learn the name of Leif's ships. Merriam-Webster defines the word Discover as 1. to make known 2. to obtain sight or knowledge for the first time . I suppose that by either definition, both Chris and Leif revealed a lush, previously unknown world to their respective benefactors. However, it's important to note that no where does Merriam-Webster suggest that discovery means ownership. Inhabiting this land long before even Leif arrived, Native Americans recognized that no one owns the e...
