Just as the country grapples with the meaning and problems of Confederate monuments, so too are schools, towns, and even whole states grappling with Columbus Day. Many are deciding to rename and refocus the holiday, choosing to call it Indigenous Peoples' Day to honor the people whose lives and cultures were irreparably damaged by the colonial conquest that the age of exploration ushered into being. Alaska is said not to celebrate the day because it falls too close to Alaska Day (Oct . But I think considering the fact that Columbus also enslaved a group of people who were otherwise peaceful to him should be noted. These books have fueled the trends I mentioned around Columbus Day. To realize this dream, they split up. The first reason for why Christopher Columbus should not be celebrated is because he committed mass genocide against the Native Americans. Columbus wanted to expand knowledge about the world and what more it consisted of by going across the ocean. The main reason Columbus Day draws opposition is because of how the explorer's arrival to the New World affected Indigenous people. But as far as I know, no U.S. landfall. There, the brothers should have been exposed to the adventures of another explorer: Leif Erickson. Growing up in St. Croix, I had a fairly typical U.S. education with fairly typical U.S. textbooks as far as I can remember. 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We dont want to expose young kids to graphic accounts of brutal treatment of Native Americans, but I think you want them to begin to question: What did this person do? Please follow him or give him some claps please be sure thats in the plural if you enjoyed this. Elliott Lassitter and John WirtOctober 26, 2017. Itd be ludicrous to say that Columbuswasnt guilty by association. 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. 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. (See, Columbus promised Ferdinand and Isabella so much, including gold, they had given him 17 ships and well over a thousand men for his second voyage! On October 11th, 2021 its 529 years since Italian explorer Christopher Columbus, or Cristoforo Colombo as he was probably known in his native Genoa, landed on the island San Salvador. This conflict between reality and fiction is what makes Columbus Day one of the most controversial holidays in America. Its Cristoforo Colombo. This new day was first adopted in Berkeley, California in 1992. Every year, on the second Monday in October, the people in the United States celebrate a national holiday in memory of Christopher Columbus, the one who discovered the new continent. 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. The war against the Western heritage. Howell Public Schools Stance on Mask Mandate, In person school, more beneficial to kids. Columbus stood to gain significant wealth and power from his voyage, terms he negotiated with King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. But by then he was hardly the first European. This kept them from planting crops, leading to widespread starvation. Though it has its controversies, Columbus day should be celebrated. "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. 2023 President and Fellows of Harvard College, Who do we celebrate, and why? Why You Can (And Should) Still Celebrate Columbus Day Reference list: Herman Lindquist, Christopher Columbus var han riktigt klok, Fischer, 1992. The holiday is typically observed on the second Monday in October. Destiny is currently enrolled in Columbia University's MFA Writing program. For example, a neighbor taking a stick and beating your child as some kind of punishment might have been perfectly fine at one time. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Pay the writer only for a finished, plagiarism-free essay that meets all your requirements. We think of Columbus Day as a heroic and triumphant day ever since 1970, when the holiday was legally made a national holiday. What were his actual contributions? Those are important questions we want to ask as citizens. Christopher Columbus, as it turned out, was responsible for widespread genocide; he permitted his men to rape, murder, mutilate and enslave indigenous people. The attack on Columbus Day is a major facet of the cultural . In any case, we know for a fact that Europeans traveled to America almost 500 years before Columbus. But Columbus couldnt deliver on the gold claim. Christopher Columbus wasnt American! Some committed suicide to avoid subjugation, others fled, but many rebelled. Sure, Chris had been sailing since age 14. In his free time, Mettler enjoys reading, running, hiking, backpacking, and walking his dog. It was still his idea to sail west, rather than east to hit the East Indies, right? In an era where we are fighting for racial equality celebrating false heroes is detrimental to progress. Indigenous Peoples Day: Why it's replacing Columbus Day in many places ), Christopher Columbus initiated the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Columbus Day's Meaning For Italian Americans : NPR Indeed, the promise of the West has delivered freedom and bounty such as humanity has never known. Why Are We Still Celebrating Columbus Day? | Study.com Should columbus day be celebrated. Should Christopher Columbus Be In 1927, Chicago's outer drive, connecting the city's North and South Sides, was renamed for Leif. Dating back around 200 years, the nonreligious had been adverse to this celebration. For if we celebrate Columbus, we are celebrating a racist genocide, massive land robbery, barbaric slavery, serial rape and systemic torture. In his role, he writes about current political issues, U.S. history, political philosophy, and culture. But heres the kicker. Turning points are powerful lenses through which students need to view our past. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. By 1516, there were 12,000. Columbus Day was a solution to a problem that most people didn't know existed. Sorry, Mr. Then they would sail away together to claim their riches. However, it was his brother, the cartographers idea to sail West. The plan was to join up once theyd gotten the backing they needed. The main reason some Leftists dont want to celebrate Christopher Columbus is because his actions supposedly led to the genocide of Native American peoples. 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. Throughout the history of civilization, the concept of the apocalypse has been ever present, in one way or another. To begin, some people think Columbus is a hero because he found America, which is not true. He was the catalyst that brought more explorers across the Atlantic, who would eventually begin to explore North America, but it is . It is on public record, that Columbus rewarded his soldiers by giving them Native Americans to rape. While there is only limited knowledge of what pre-Columbus America was like, it did feature war, slavery, torture and plenty of brutality. Christopher Columbus may have been a daring adventurer but he is not someone we want our kids to think of as a hero or role model. The tradition of observing Columbus Day dates back to the 18th century. Nevertheless, the same could be said of Julius Caesar, but I dont know of many European countries who celebrate Julius Caesar Day. 4 Reasons Why Columbus Day Is the Worst Holiday Columbus Day is not a holiday the U.S. and Italian Americans should Though it was disputed for many years, there is conclusive evidence that Neanderthals bred with modern humans (Homo sapiens). Columbus day is a controversial holiday, but one that should be celebrated. So, yes, in 1498 and 1502, he did reach the continental Americas. And while some people may seem content with the story as it stands, our view is that there existcountless mysteries, scientific anomalies and surprising artifacts thathave yet to be discovered and explained. "Ignore the propaganda and instead remember Christopher Columbus with gratitude and a clear conscience. Like most Americans, I learned in 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue. Ingrained in my mind are the names of his ships: The Nina, The Pinta and the Santa Maria. As awareness has grown about the catastrophic effect his discovery had on Americas indigenous populations, it has increasingly been viewed as a disaster rather than triumph, and rightly so. Even perpetually leftward NPR admitted today . So, there you have it; five reasons not to celebrate Columbus Day this year (or any other year). Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Colorado did so on April 1, 1907. (Though it should be noted a large portion of the deaths of Native Americans was due to disease, not violence--an inevitable consequence of Old World illness in New World soil. But what exactly does it mean to be civilized? Legal Statement. The natives were removed from their villages to work in gold mines and colonial plantations. The king wrote, We in his name will receive you with love and charity, respecting your freedom and that of your wives and sons and your rights of possession and we shall not compel you to baptism unless you, informed of the truth, wish to convert to our holy Catholic faith., Columbuss drive for exploration was religious. Europe, Asia and Africa, of course, suffered through numerous plagues of their own.). The Controversy Over Columbus Day Celebrations - ThoughtCo The next obvious question is: well, if thats not his name, what were the names of his famous ships? Herman Lindquist, Christopher Columbus var han riktigt klok, Fischer, 1992, Captivating History, Christopher Columbus: A Captivating Guide to the Life of an Italian Explorer and His Voyages to the Americas, Captivating History, 2020, Encyclopdia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Christopher-Columbus. Columbuss men used native girls as young as nine or ten as their sex slaves. What is Indigenous Peoples Day? Is it offensive to celebrate Columbus 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. And to see that it is not the essence of Columbus, but rather part of the times. Columbus never stepped foot on North American soil. Cal Poly State University - San Luis Obispo, California State University - Los Angeles, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, California State University, Channel Islands, Jesus and Mary College, University of Delhi, Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, Federal University Of Agriculture Abeokuta, University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign, Interamerican University of Puerto Rico San German campus, Keiser University - Latin American Campus, London School of Economics and Political Science, California State University of Sacramento, Savannah College of Art and Design Atlanta, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, The University of Texas of the Permian Basin, University of North Carolina - Wilmington, University of South Florida - St. Petersburg, William Paterson University of New Jersey. Columbus went on forth with a lot of violence, such as cutting off a slaves nose/hands to signify power against them. Columbus arrival is seen as the beginning of civilization in the Americas. . And now Ill claim it for us! Columbus is often portrayed as a heroic figure who bravely discovered America, but this narrative ignores the fact that the Americas were already inhabited by millions of people before Columbus arrived. He never set foot on any part of the 50 United States. Columbus Day, which is celebrated today in the USA and honours the arrival of Christopher Columbus to the New World, is an example of outdated and misguided history. 1. Why Columbus Day isn't really a national holiday This new day was first adopted in Berkeley, California in 1992. We need students to understand that Columbus is important, even if he isnt someone to be celebrated. 5 Things to Know About Indigenous Peoples' Day and Columbus Day Hence, the inducement cited above.). He decided at an early age that this was not the life for him. 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 is perhaps worth revisiting the two distinct reasons why we celebrate Columbus Day in the first place, and . 5 Reasons to Celebrate Columbus Day as a Symbol of Diversity The Iliad can provide new insights on the role of motherhood among the ancient Greek gods, and by extension, amongst ancient mortal Greek women themselves.