I especially liked Chapter four in Silencing The Past when Trouillot writes about The World’s Columbian Exposition of Chicago.  Trouillot states, “The Chicago Exposition actually opened in 1893, but by then historical accuracy and even Columbus himself had become quite secondary.” (128)

I was stunned to learn about America’s over the top expense of 5.8 million dollars spent on this exposition during the late 1800’s, and sadden to think how it was not about substance, but that it was all just a money making scheme, and for power and control.  But, then I remembered, oh that was what brought Columbus here in the first place.  I also thought Trouillots line “Some Spanish journalists ridiculed what they saw as a vulgar carnival” (129) they should have popped back around for the advertising extravaganza that was planned a hundred years later “campaigns to make Columbus sell cars and furniture” and what would they have made of that? Those campaigns were dropped.  I think to my self, doesn’t that sound familiar?  Do we ever learn?  I was glad to read some of us eventually do, I like the way Trouillot put it “ In retrospect, the most striking feature of the quincentennial was the loudness of dissenting voices worldwide.  For varying reasons and in various degrees, native and black Americans, Latino-Americans, African, Caribbean, and Asian leaders denounced the celebration of the conquest or tried to redirect the narrative of The Discovery.  For me most poignant of all is at the end of the chapter when Trouillot says Columbus didn’t even have a journal entry in his log for “Friday, October 12, 1492.”(140)