Italian, Christopher Columbus discovers the new world in 1492 but never stood a foot on it (N.America),in 1513 Ponce De Leon discovers Florida,(Isn't it the same land ?).In 1534 Jacques Cartier discovers Canada. And finally in 1620 the Mayflower ends up in Plymouth new England with a bunch of pilgrims(still same piece of land).

Now , how come the first one didn't get the whole thing?

How about the moon does it all belong to America ? Or is it just the sea of Tranquility?

I can't answer all of this, but I would just like to point out in regards to the moon, planting our flag there was just symbolic. It means we were there. America has never claimed ownership of the moon. I know that's not what you were saying but I just wanted to point that out.

It would be hypocritical to do so because the U.S. has openly stated that it will never recognize any countries claim to own or govern any part of Antarctica.

As for the rest, Asians were in fact the first to step foot on North America. That's obvious in the ancestry of the Native Americans.

I think it's just the history that was sponsored by the government of the people that finally took the continent that becomes so called fact.

I wonder how much ancient history hasn't been distorted by governments in the last 1000 years. I would bet that very little of what we understand as factual in ancient history actually happened the way we are taught, though I think we get the general outline. The rest is just stories.

I think the answer is that when these European explorers landed in the Americas they didn't realize just how big it was and thought they had found somewhere different from where the others had landed. They didn't realize that it was all part of the same continent. That is why Africa was divided up into dozens of little territories all on the same land mass.

For one, Columbus was Portugeuse, not Italian. Though, his expeditions were in service to the Spanish. People have given this monsterous slave trader credit for "discovering" America for as long as anyone can remember. Yet, how does one "discover" something which was never lost? America was occupied for a very long time before the European slave traders ever showed up, and "claimed" everything.

Imagine if I showed up on your doorstep one day. Let's call your estate "the Manor". As you open the door to greet me, I walk in, have a look around, and decide I like what I see. So, I then "claim" it. And, under gun point, I make every member of your household into my slaves. In time, would it also be said that I "discovered" the Manor? Or, would you have another choice of words for such? Try to keep that in perspective.

Columbus didn't "discover" a damn thing. He was just the man most directly responsible for the Spanish invasion of America, and the slavery and genocide of it's native population which followed.

Next, came the Anglos. Hence, the "pilgrim" colonies, over a century later.

I always enjoy researching alternative history. I recently read a some alternative views regarding Columbus' discovery that' real interesting It starts with:
"So, you think Christopher Columbus was a butcher, bringing only war and disease and death to the America's? You think that he should be considered one of history's greatest criminals, rather than one of its greatest heroes? Fine. Assume for a moment that he never came. No one ever came: no Spanish Conquistadors, no English, French or Portuguese explorers and settlers- no one. Such a world would be very different from the one in which we inhabit today."

here's a link to how the world could be today if the discovery was never made

http://users.metro2000.net/~stabbott/nocolumbus.htm

Omega Raven ,like your post ,but I must add that Columbus was Italian,he settle in Portugal around 1477.

Columbus, Christopher (Italian Cristoforo Colombo, Spanish Cristóbal Colón) (1451-1506), Italian-Spanish navigator who sailed west across the Atlantic Ocean in search of a route to Asia but achieved fame by making landfall, instead, in the Caribbean Sea. Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy.



"Columbus, Christopher," Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 2000. © 1993-1999 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Columbus is one of history's most enigmatic figures. Before assuming that his nationality was what conventional wisdom says, read Mascarenhas Barreiro's book on him.

From what I've learned, I've come across the following things:

Columbus, of Spain, was trying to gain land, but not begin colonization. He landed in South America, I think.

de Leon, of France, I think, claimed a slightly more morthen piece of land, but still no colonization.

Cartier, of France, I think, claimed Canada, the claim last quite some time. Still, no colonization.

The Pilgrims land actually in between the Frenchmen's "lands" But they were there to settle, not discover or explore.


Regarding the moon, Russia has its own bits of the moon to itself, so yes, we probably just own the Sea of Tranquility, which we owe a great deal of to Germany for their help.