They Came Before Columbus Summary

In the book, They Came before Columbus is a must read for anyone seeking knowledge about the humiliation and ridicule of blacks by Ivan Van Sertima highlighted the tainted lies being taught to us by the Western world in order to justify their crimes of slavery and colonialism. Van Sertima examined the fact and found cultural similarities between America and Africa such as languages, transportation of plants, cloth and animals. Evidence of physical and cultural presence of Africans in Early America precisely showed that they migrated to America whether planned and accidental. According to Columbus’s own writings, people living in the Indies told him that “black-skinned” people traded gold-tipped metal spears. Columbus then sent samples back
to Spain to be tested and they found the samples identical to the gold, silver and copper alloy spears forged in Africa Guinea. Columbus’ son, Ferdinand, also confirmed this information. Archeological evidence of an African presence in the pre-Columbian times, show that there were African portraits, clay, gold and stone in Central and South America. The significance this have relating to Botany as a Science is that evidence shows that certain plants such as cotton, bananas, yams, beans and gourd (calabash) were pre-Colombian plants in the Americas. Research suggested that though the last plant (gourd) could have been transported by the ocean, the others couldn’t survive such prolonged exposure and ocean currents. The presence of these plants at the age of slavery shows that slave owners needed slaves to cultivate and sustain these plants.