The Interpretation of Historical Fact

 This will be my first blog post having to deal with the History of the American Constitution. In my American Constitutional History Class on Monday we discussed the interpretation of historical fact and just how hard it is to differentiate and dispel historical interpretation and historical fact. One of the more interesting topics we discussed was the idea that Christopher Columbus was the first European to discover America.

It is fascinating because before 1960 the general consensus among historians was that Columbus was the first European to discover America. This historical fact was dispelled in 1960 when archaeologists uncovered Viking settlements in North America. 

The Viking settlements in L’Anse aux Meadow proved that the Vikings were the first known Europeans to journey across the Atlantic and discover America.

This example shows that even the most trusted “facts” in history can be overturned by further research and knowledge.