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Reading Christopher Columbus’s New World Report to Ferdinand and Isabella in Spain

What do we truly mean when we refer to America as the New World? Join Kirk in this episode of Primary Source Close Reads as he explores Christopher Columbus’s letter to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain after first landing in the Americas. He’ll examine excerpts to understand what “new” meant to both Columbus and the Native Americans that he encountered. What does the language of this letter reveal about Columbus’ thought process when first arriving in the Americas? Why is it important to read and discuss documents to develop historical reasoning skills?


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