Final answer:
Historians use multiple sources to grasp the full impact of Columbus's voyages, including diverse historical perspectives and the context of the Columbian Exchange.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding the impact of Columbus's voyages on history requires comprehensive analysis through different lenses. To capture the complexity of events, historians must utilize various sources, including both primary and secondary accounts. Primary sources like Columbus's logs and letters provide firsthand perspectives, while secondary sources offer scholarly analysis, put events in context, and give insight into evolving historical interpretations. This approach is vital to consider the diverse interpretations provided by multiple schools of historical thought, such as progressive, intellectual, social, Marxist, gender, and postcolonialist historians. These diverse interpretations allow for a more complete picture of historical events by covering various dimensions like social structures, class conflicts, and cultural impacts. When discussing Columbus, historiographical analysis is crucial, as interpretations must align with the norms and values of the 15th and 16th centuries, not those of the modern era. This context is particularly significant when considering the Columbian Exchange, a pivotal outcome of Columbus's voyages that dramatically altered global ecosystems, economies, and societies.