The Whole Truth

As followers of Jesus, we can tell our stories by living with justice, mercy and faith.

We know the traditional story of the discovery of America. On October 12, 1492, the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus set foot in the Americas, claiming the land for Spain. He paved the way for a massive influx of Europeans, people who eventually formed the countries of Canada, Mexico and the United States.

But Columbus was not the first to set foot here. People came from Asia about 15,000 years ago, walking across the Bering land bridge between Siberia and what is now Alaska. They dispersed across North America and traveled to Central America and South America as well.

We call them Native Americans because they were here first. But they were often pushed aside in our history books by Columbus and the Europeans who followed.

Yale professor Ned Blackhawk is trying to make this story more accurate. His book, The Rediscovery of America, recognizes the centrality of Native Americans in the story of the United States. According to Yale Alumni Magazine, American history is not really ...