The Truth About Columbus’s “First Contact”: Ep 10 of Crash Course Native American History

In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue…and drastically changed the lives of Native Americans forever. In this episode of Crash Course Native American History, we’ll unpack misconceptions around first contact between Europeans and Natives and explore how Native peoples are still resisting colonialism today.

Introduction: The Taíno 00:00
First Contact 0:46
The Doctrine of Discovery 3:16
"Virgin Soil" Epidemics 4:40
The California Genocide 6:00
Native Resistance 6:46
The Taíno Today 9:17
Review & Credits 11:21

Sources:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1g1BpQk_2qXtFeQBffoAT-rrogcKRaA2eNjeRCpmCrJ8/edit?usp=sharing

Want to know more about how this series was made? Learn more here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/17yp3u28s40TdjyrJniIf4U9YA8wPtvQ1g1B-HSHQ2Q4/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.6vtzps565m2

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Post from Crash Course on July 29, 2025

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