The Golden Age of Exploration

The quincentennial of Columbus' voyage to America five years ago brought a new consciousness to the matter of how indigenous peoples viewed the European explorers: as invaders, robbers, rapists, murderers, slave drivers, and people who forced their own alien religion on others. This remarkably balanced presentation shows concern for this side of the story, along with the more conventional praise for explorers who set off to explore the world--and make a profit. Credit is given to the Chinese who first invented a compass around 1000 A.D. and eventually sailed as far as the East African coast, and the program offers a quick history of the Crusades ("exploration as holy war") and Marco Polo's trip to China, explaining how the Europeans gradually came to see Asian goods as a necessity after millennia of satisfactory European trade. There's only one minor error in the tape: the early Middle Ages are referred to as "the so-called Dark Ages," which is incorrect; the Dark Ages in Europe are properly defined as the 5th-10th centuries A.D. The teacher's guide which accompanies the video has several good projects and suggestions which will have many applications. Highly recommended. Aud: I, J, H, P. (R. Reagan)