Now theres a deed worth celebrating every year! Our open community is dedicated to digging into the origins of our species on planet earth, and question wherever the discoveries might take us. The Lefts hatred of Columbus is predicated on the idea that he represents the tyrannical, western force that colonized the Americas at the expense of those already living here. CONTACT US: And if you can, take some time to learn more about all the diversity that makes the Caribbean great. Specifically, he is credited with being the first European explorer since the Vikings to explore the New World for Europeans. However, a circumspect understanding of history offers numerous reasons why Columbus should not only be celebrated, but . Columbuss men used native girls as young as nine or ten as their sex slaves. America is celebrating. There are still people who believe Christopher Columbus found America and that what he did was harmless because he was being a man of his time. Had he have given up, the world would be drastically different today. He would cut off the hands of people living in what now is Haiti for not bringing him enough gold every three months. In 1891, one of the largest mass lynchings in American history took place in New Orleans after nine Italians were acquitted of murdering the city's police chief. Every Columbus Day I am forcibly reminded of my hatred for Christopher Columbus. It was President Franklin Delano Roosevelt that designated the second Monday of October (Columbus Day) as a national holiday in 1971. The war against the Western heritage. He completely miscalculated the distance between Europe and Japan however, estimating it to be around 2,000 nautical miles when the real distance is closer to 11,000. I doubt it. They were the original immigrants to the New World, and deserve their remembrance. In fact, that might have been a good neighbor, whereas today That neighbor would find themselves in jail. Get the recap of top opinion commentary and original content throughout the week. Or better yet, follow him. Rather than celebrate, we believe it should be a day to mourn the destruction of an indigenous population which had lived in peace for tens of thousands of years before Columbus a rapist and murderer set foot on American soil. Dating back around 200 years, the nonreligious had been adverse to this celebration. All rights reserved. According to documents 6 " Christopher Columbus was the greatest, because he accomplished the most against the highest odds before Columbus ' time all European voyages had followed coastlines, or cross open seas to land previously known or at . Columbus wanted to expand knowledge about the world and what more it consisted of by going across the ocean. Market data provided by Factset. And most of all, I was taught of his discovering America. Yeah. There are several reasons why Columbus Day has become controversial. This began with the spirit of Christopher Columbus. Please follow him or give him some claps please be sure thats in the plural if you enjoyed this. First of all, Christopher Columbus isnt even his name. Columbus was definitely a brave and courageous (and lucky) captain, but his navigational skills left a lot to be desired. Howard Zinns A Peoples History of the United States includes horrific, detailed eyewitness accounts of how the Spanish explorers treated the Native Americans. We may not like it, but its our shared heritage. . Mettler earned his Bachelors degree from William Jessup University and is an alumnus of the Young Leaders Program at The Heritage Foundation. In 1892, a joint congressional resolution prompted President Benjamin Harrison to mark the "discovery of America by Columbus," in part because of "the devout faith of the discoverer and for the. Columbus set a precedent for exploration of the new world. To realize this dream, they split up. Nevertheless, the first official Columbus Day happened in 1892, when President Harrison issued a proclamation for Americans to commemorate the day. All rights reserved. A growing number of cities are no longer celebrating Columbus Day, swapping it for "Indigenous Peoples' Day.". When I got to high school and learned the truth about Columbus I felt betrayed. I think history teachers have a responsibility to prepare students to comment critically and participate critically in the discourse about who we are honoring, who we are celebrating, and how we are doing it. On his first voyage, Columbus promised the crew on his three ships (Santa Maria, Pinta and Santa Clara) that the first person who spotted land would receive a lifetime pension. Likewise, Thomas Jefferson, also a slave owner, should be remembered for writing one of the most brilliant documents in the history of mankind, the Declaration of Independence, which contributed greatly to the ending of slavery and segregation in the United States. The things Columbus did such as capturing the Natives as slaves just made him the man of his time, saying everyone did this, and that he needed the help anyway. In fact, the result of Columbuss voyages was mass, Columbus didnt do too well as a governor of these new lands. Columbus should not be celebrated, let alone given a day. A Blazing Weapon: Unraveling the Mystery of Greek Fire. Here are five reasons we should still celebrate Columbus Day. It involves grappling with multiple perspectives, a fundamental skill for historians. - IPL.org; 7.Why We Should Not Celebrate Columbus Day - IPL.org; 8.Why Columbus Day Should Not Be Celebrated Essay . And Erickson was certainly as European as Columbus (at least in todays geographical terminology.) 2. Turning points are powerful lenses through which students need to view our past. Hi! There are also theories that the Irish arrived far before the Vikings, and that the Chinese and Polynesians may also have also visited the Americas before Columbus. With all that, there are reasons to celebrate Columbus Day. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Examine Columbuss "discovery" of America. Published: October 7, 2021 8.23am EDT Updated: October 7, 2021 9.53am EDT. Despite the time that has passed, Columbus Day still remains a subject that most people would rather not think about. Monday marks Columbus Day, in honor of Christopher Columbus but not all will be celebrating the Italian explorer. Berkeley originally replaced Columbus Day with show more content. The point is not to excuse the worst that happened, but to understand it. If it wasnt for Columbus, the motivation for exploration and expansion wouldnt have become a priority because nobody knew about the Americas. The main reason Columbus Day draws opposition is because of how the explorer's arrival to the New World affected Indigenous people. Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment. The Zinn Education Project also includes a bunch of primary sources related to Columbus, such as writings by Bartolom de La Casas. Alaska is said not to celebrate the day because it falls too close to Alaska Day (Oct . To get a custom and plagiarism-free essay. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Even perpetually leftward NPR admitted today . For all the reasons listed above, and for how he acted during his stay in the Americas, Christopher Columbus should not be remembered as a voyaging adventurer who discovered America. Columbus couldnt be killed without angering the Italian court, so Queen Isabella sent him on a mission, hoping he wouldnt return. This essay is available online and might have been used by another student. Indeed, Columbus was mostly benign in his interaction with native populations. If it wasn't for Columbus, the motivation for exploration and expansion wouldn't have become a priority because nobody knew about the Americas. He was the catalyst that brought more explorers across the Atlantic, who would eventually begin to explore North America, but it is . On October 12,1792was when it was first celebrated. Trends are really hard to detect in a country as divided as ours, but Ive noticed two developments in my work teaching high school and teaching at Harvard. "This historically problematic holiday Columbus never actually set foot on the continental U.S. has made an increasing number of people wince, given the enslavement and genocide of Native. We still have to understand the time he was born but Christopher Columbus. The statue of Christopher Columbus remains encased in a wooden box on Marconi Plaza Aug. 12, 2020, as the sun sets on the day the Philadelphia Art Commission voted to remove it and store it while the city deliberates on a new permanent home for the controversial monument. He and his crew were greeted with smiles, gifts and food. We seek to retell the story of our beginnings. And in general, we want to students to engage with controversy. Once we do this, Columbus Day can be a truly inclusive holiday. Columbus did not discover America, but his voyages began the Columbian exchange, a turning point in world history involving the massive transfers of human populations, cultures, ideas, animals, plants, and diseases. . Most of the time when injustices occurred, Columbus wasnt even there. Columbus Day means that finally, America was economically assimilated to Europe, in those times peopled by Western dominant civilizations. So, enjoy the day off and celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day. Italian heritage. He cheekily claimed that he had spotted land a few hours before Triana and Pinzo, but that he hadnt said anything in case it was a false alarm. Columbus Day was supposed to recognize the greatness of all of America's people, but especially Italians and Native Americans. We should celebrate Indigenous People's Day instead. But, again, no mainland United States. Nevertheless, the same could be said of Julius Caesar, but I dont know of many European countries who celebrate Julius Caesar Day. If you still think Columbus Day is something worth celebrating, here are five other reasons why it isnt: After studying a handful of his favorite books, including the journals of Marco Polo, Columbus became convinced that it was possible to sail directly west to reach the Indies, as China, Japan and India were then known as in Europe. It was still his idea to sail west, rather than east to hit the East Indies, right? There were already people living wherever he landed. If you want a unique paper, order it from our professional writers. And he was a talented astronomer and navigator. . These Natives are so nice, wed be crazy not to enslave them is one contentious quote by Christopher Columbus. However, because Columbus brought disasters to the Native Americans, many people opposed the Columbus celebrations. Over a dozen states and more than 130 local governments have chosen to not celebrate Columbus Day altogether or replace it with Indigenous Peoples' Day. AtAncient Origins, we believe that one of the most important fields of knowledge we can pursue as human beings is our beginnings. For example, a neighbor taking a stick and beating your child as some kind of punishment might have been perfectly fine at one time. Why is Columbus Day being renamed? I think there is a ton of potential in celebrating an Indigenous Peoples' Day, but what that is, what it looks like we need to start with asking indigenous folks to define it. By 1555, there were zero full-blooded natives left on the island. As an anti-paean to a holiday most Americans hardly acknowledge (unless they get a day off), here are a list of reasons that we should remove Columbus Day from our list of federal holidays. As I said in the beginning of this piece, Columbus did not discover what would become North America. The American Indian Movement, among other groups, have gone as far as to state that the continuous celebration of this holiday is oppressive towards Native Americans. In his role, he writes about current political issues, U.S. history, political philosophy, and culture. It neednt be a battleground, but a chance to celebrate the best within us. Though it has its controversies, Columbus day should be celebrated. Yes, this guy didnt commit genocide. Columbus may have recorded that he "found" America, but he was a. mass murderer. In 1927, Chicago's outer drive, connecting the city's North and South Sides, was renamed for Leif. Reference list: Herman Lindquist, Christopher Columbus var han riktigt klok, Fischer, 1992. From early colonial exploration, to our push westward with manifest destiny, to our more modern quest to outer space and landing on the moon, Americans seem to have an innate desire to push the boundaries and discover new places. The reason Columbus set sail on his epic journey in the first place was because he raped the 13-year-old daughter of a Spanish Duchess. With as simple of a description as that, one would wonder why so much controversy arises from a legal American holiday. While there is plenty to criticize about Columbus, and what followed his arrival, I think this movement is missing the point. Religion was heavily forced upon the Native American tribes, and the Europeans means of dealing with their obstacles run much more inhumane. Columbus arrival is seen as the beginning of civilization in the Americas. Christopher Columbus was a murderer, rapist, and thief who did not actually find America, but indeed only visited a land where Native Americans have already been living. He sailed to Iceland and Ireland in 1477, and to Madeira in 1478. So yeah, Christopher Columbus, upon closer inspection, is a terrible fellow to honor. -- Celebrate the spirit of exploration. Columbus is also well known as a great explorer, and not the man he truly is, who hurt people in order for things to go his way and for him to get what he wants, which was power., Two Reasons Why Columbus Day Should Not be Celebrated. In fact, a new exhibition in Brazil features more than 100 artefacts dating back as far as 30,000 years ago, 18,000 years earlier than previously believed. To begin, some people think Columbus is a hero because he found America, which is not true.