Title: America discovers Columbus : how an Italian explorer became an American hero /
Authors: Bushman, Claudia L.
Publisher: University Press of New England,
Year: 1992
Subjects: Columbus, Christopher Influence.; Columbus, Christopher Anniversaries, etc. History.; Columbus, Christopher Anniversaries, etc.
Abstract: "A lively look at how each generation of Americans has reinvented Columbus in its own image and for its own purposes. Was Christopher Columbus a hero or a villain, discoverer or destroyer? ... By focusing on popular representation of the explorer and his story through the years, rather than the actual man or deeds, Bushman chronicles the invention of Columbian tradition. In doing so, she provides a historical and cultural context for the quincentennial debate over Columbus's legacy, demonstrating that the current questioning is only the latest in a long tradition of revising the explorer's reputation."--From publisher.
Contents: The admiral at five hundred -- The historical record -- Naming the nation -- Columbus in poetry -- The first commemoration -- The heroic image -- Glory and gloom : Columbus after Irving -- The admiral enthroned.