Saturday,
November 24, 2007
The
ANNOTICO Report
Decades
after revisionist historians and Native Americans began to question history's
account of the reputation of Christopher Columbus, 85 percent of
Americans still describe him in positive and traditional terms,
according to a U-M study.
The
overall pattern lately has been curvilinear,
with characterizations of Columbus starting off as predominately positive
(in 91 percent of books published between 1944-59), moving to much more negative
characterizations in the 1970s
(only 17 percent showing positive evaluations of
Columbus) and then recovering a more positive view in the 1980s and 1990s (with 40
percent and 80 percent, respectively, showing positive
characterizations).
Schuman
concludes that criticisms of
It is important to our Italian Heritage to Support
and Defend Columbus against every attack.
Let
us NOT Forget :
The
Experts say:
The
100; A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History,
Thanks to
Columbus
Day Study: Explorer Still Widely
Admired
Decades after
revisionist historians and Native Americans began to question history's account
of the reputation of Christopher Columbus, 85 percent of Americans still describe
him in positive and traditional terms, according to a U-M study.
Most respondents
in a national representative sample of Americans view
Two percent of
those surveyed say that
"The inertia
of collective memory has sustained Columbus's reputation in the face of
criticisms," says Howard Schuman, a research scientist and professor
emeritus at the Institute for Social Research (ISR) and the lead author of
"Elite Revisionists and Popular Beliefs: Christopher Columbus, Hero or
Villain?" published in the Spring 2005 issue of Public Opinion Quarterly.
The research was
supported, in part, by the National Science Foundation.
For the study,
Schuman and co-authors Barry Schwartz and Hannah D'Arcy analyzed results of
several national surveys and the content of American high school history
textbooks to assess the general public's beliefs about
The surveys were
conducted by ISR in 1998, 2000 and 2002, and included more than 2,000 Americans
age 18 and older.
Schuman and
colleagues found that older people were more likely than younger ones to view
Examining the
views of American minorities, the researchers found that 42 percent of Native
Americans believe
The researchers
also analyzed statements about
Schuman concludes
that criticisms of
Ultimately, the
narrative of his voyage in 1492 taps into the power of creation stories,
Schuman says, and illustrates the gap that exists in many dimensions between
the beliefs of the general public and the views of elite groups and minority
activists.
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ANNOTICO Reports Can be Viewed (and are Archived) on:
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Italia
Mia: http://www.ItaliaMia.com (3 years)
Annotico
Email: annotico@earthlink.net