Most Americans didn't even know much about Columbus until Washington Irving yes, that Washington Irving wrote. So why Columbus Day? 1. Among the reasons cited for the Columbus Day federal holiday was that it was being observed in 40 states at the time. The Andy Griffith Show Remains a Masterclass in Leadership and Life, Births in Japan Fall to Record Low Amid Catastrophic Population Decline, Foretelling Worlds Future. And yes, I know Columbus was at least in part a product of his brutish times and any nation who landed on Hispaniola in 1492 might have done similar things. We should honor George Washington, the Indispensable man, for his military bravado and skilled leadership as our first president, even though he owned slaves. A recent Marist Poll shows why: Those campaigning against Columbus Day are in the minority. Why Columbus Day is worth defending and celebrating For the first time this year some calendars don't mention Columbus Day but says October 11 is Indigenous Peoples' Day. 5 Reasons Why It's Still OK To Celebrate Columbus Day - The Hayride Was Christopher Columbus a Hero or Villain? - Biography Columbus Day as a federal holiday: Time to end it? | Pro/Con - Inquirer.com In 1927, Chicago's outer drive, connecting the city's North and South Sides, was renamed for Leif. Why I Refuse To Celebrate Columbus Day - The Odyssey Online Although many people have adopted Columbus day as "Indigenous People's Day," many people will not agree that we should also have a holiday . In fact, the result of Columbuss voyages was mass, Columbus didnt do too well as a governor of these new lands. Many people believe that Columbus Day should not be a federal holiday because Christopher Columbus was a terrible person. According to a recent poll, 79% of college students support such a change. Adults Especially Gen Z Identifying as LGBT. It neednt be a battleground, but a chance to celebrate the best within us. In addition to The Daily Citizen, his written pieces have appeared in The Daily Signal, Life News, The Colorado Independent, and The Millennial Review. 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. While deprivations did occur, Columbus was quick to punish those under his command who committed unjust acts against local populations Columbus did not engage in the savage acts that have been pinned on him., In addition, Columbus strictly told the crew not to do things like maraud, or rape, and instead to treat the native people with respect. In a racially equal world, Columbus shouldn't be celebrated. 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Between 1482 and 1485 Columbus traded along the Guinea and Gold coasts of tropical West Africa and made at least one voyage to Elmina, Ghana. After all of this, he made four transatlantic voyages to the new world beginning with his first famed voyage in 1492. She is a national writer at Her Campus and the former editor-in-chief of Her Campus Rowan. 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. I remember learning about Columbus as a young child and I was in awe learning about the explorer. And maybe only one reason to celebrate. And if you can, take some time to learn more about all the diversity that makes the Caribbean great. Market data provided by Factset. 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. The act moved Veterans Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day and the new Columbus Day holiday to Mondays. It consisted mostly of about 12,000 public school students grouped into 20 regiments, each commanded by a principal. Contrary to popular belief, Columbus Day is a celebration of diversity, not oppression. Within the Italian community, Columbus Day symbolizes the legacy of their ancestors who immigrated to America, overcame poverty, language barriers, and above all, discrimination. Why Should We Celebrate Columbus Day Essay - 1065 Words | Cram And the D.C. City Council recently approved a measure to abolish Columbus Day and replace it with Indigenous Peoples Day. Here Are Some Reasons Why. Why We Do Not Celebrate Columbus Day. But its hard for children to understand that someone who they were taught to idolize is a bad guy. One of the best parts of our humanity is that sense of discovery. And Bart was left behind on the cutting room floor of history. Mudlarker Finds Bronze Age Shoe on a UK Riverbank Dated 2,800 Years Old! It involves really unpacking the past, looking for complications, and making a deep exploration into the people that made history happen, rather than just looking for a glossy overview. Below are five reasons why Columbus Day celebrants can hold their head high in 2019 rather than kowtow to guilt-based politics. Columbus Day: Here's Why We Celebrate It | Time This new day was first adopted in Berkeley, California in 1992. This is the Monster Celebrated on Columbus Day, The American Holocaust: Columbus and the Conquest of the New World, Multicultural View of Christopher Columbus Story, The Rise of Sexual Assault in the Military. It was still his idea to sail west, rather than east to hit the East Indies, right? He brought with him a letter from King Ferdinand to the Taino-Arawak Indians. Usable Knowledge I am sure you are familiar with his legend which states that he was born in a manger surrounded by shepherds, about Christopher Columbus: Master Double Agent and Portugals 007, about Roman Sword discovered off Oak Island radically suggests Ancient Mariners visited New World 1,000 years before Columbus, For Sale In Britain: A Small Ancient Man With A Colossal Penis, Sacred Marvels: 17 Cathedrals That Will Take Your Breath Away, In Pictures, Egyptologists Reveal a Lost Chamber in the Great Pyramid With Cosmic Rays, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Unleashing the End of the World. Right now, across the country, cities and schools are faced with the question, Should we celebrate Columbus? Were facing similar questions about how we commemorate the confederacy and the Civil War. What were his actual contributions? Those are important questions we want to ask as citizens. But you didnt discover a place that was already inhabited by a peaceful group of people. Thats a lesson for later. Why I proudly celebrate Columbus Day | Washington Examiner Columbuss men also killed off slaves whenever needed. ," Jake Flanagin explains why many are arguing it . Many states celebrate both. Pondering putting an end to Columbus Day, and a look at what could When Columbus arrived in 1492, he enslaved the Natives, and took control over their way of life, and also made his way into the Caribbean Island. First, lets just put aside the paradox of discovering a land that already had a population of indigenous people. We should stop celebrating Columbus - The Bona Venture This claim has been proven recently as Viking Leif Ericksson was the first European to discover the New World, about 500 years prior to Columbus' famous journey. Some committed suicide to avoid subjugation, others fled, but many rebelled. Why We Should Celebrate Columbus Day? Free Essay Example 'Green Card Warrior' Nick Adams weighs in on 'Fox & Friends First.'. Or maybe even plan to discover your own new-to-you islands! Why Should Columbus Day Be Celebrated | Hearinnh Now, I got nothing against thousands of virgins or a good story. As a result, in 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Columbus Day into law as a way to celebrate the hero who changed the world (Bragdon 12). Columbus Day. Trusted by over 1 million students worldwide. And to see that it is not the essence of Columbus, but rather part of the times. (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. And most of all, I was taught of his discovering America. Don't know where to start? However, it was his brother, the cartographers idea to sail West. Growing up, I wasn't exposed to this truth. - IPL.org; 7.Why We Should Not Celebrate Columbus Day - IPL.org; 8.Why Columbus Day Should Not Be Celebrated Essay . Reference list: Herman Lindquist, Christopher Columbus var han riktigt klok, Fischer, 1992. Although it has been a tradition in the United States to recognize this day as a federal holiday for many years, whether Christopher Columbus' actions merit celebration is now being questioned, and rightly so . Were theonlyPop Archaeology site combining scientific research with out-of-the-box perspectives. There were terrible diseases that got communicated to the natives, but he cant be blamed for that., 5. . Our writers will help you fix any mistakes and get an A+! Very much like the lyrics of the famous She may be ancient Egypts most famous face, but the quest to find the eternal resting place of Queen Nefertiti has never been hotter. Every Columbus Day I am forcibly reminded of my hatred for Christopher Columbus. 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. 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. If the world was round, this was possible, he thought. He is an inspiration to many young people. Why You Can (And Should) Still Celebrate Columbus Day Columbus should not be celebrated, let alone given a day. Give us your paper requirements, choose a writer and well deliver the highest-quality essay! Jarrett Stepman writes at The Daily Signal, While Columbus, and certainly his Spanish benefactors, had an interest in the goods and gold he could return from what they thought would be Asia, the explorers primary motivation was religious., 3. Once we do this, Columbus Day can be a truly inclusive holiday. "Ignore the propaganda and instead remember Christopher Columbus with gratitude and a clear conscience. James Loewens Lies My Teacher Told Me, and his shorter Lies My Teacher Told Me about Christopher Columbus, critique how textbooks have covered Columbus. Columbus Did Not Discover North America. Students need to grapple with these multiple perspectives in history and the not-so-pleasant aspects of our past. Columbus Day means that finally, America was economically assimilated to Europe, in those times peopled by Western dominant civilizations. This movement sees Columbus as a symbol of destruction, and thus not to be celebrated. Though flawed, Columbus was a great man with an adventurous spirit, sailing the seas to prepare to establish a new world. In short, today is Christopher Columbus Day, and we should all celebrate that. Columbus inspired countless other explorers, both of his time and of modern time, to explore and make discoveries. The Zinn Education Project also includes a bunch of primary sources related to Columbus, such as writings by Bartolom de La Casas. Yet, many continue to believe that America owes its discovery to Christopher Columbus. But Columbus couldnt deliver on the gold claim. The holiday is typically observed on the second Monday in October. It also became clear that there are many reasons not to celebrate Columbus Day. They were the original immigrants to the New World, and deserve their remembrance. Diseases were spread and were not able to be resisted by the sick slaves. Columbus never even came to this country! Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Columbus went on forth with a lot of violence, such as cutting off a slaves nose/hands to signify power against them. Here are five reasons we should still celebrate Columbus Day. The pros and cons of Columbus Day - THE MAIN FOUR 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. If Columbus is Off Limits to Celebrate, so are Indigenous Peoples. Because thats public history. We should celebrate Indigenous People's Day instead. The New York Society of Tammany also honored Columbus of his first voyage with the marking of his 300th anniversary. With three boats, the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria, he set out in search of a better trade route to India. It took tremendous bravery to sail off into the unknown. And, sure he was directly responsible for the enslavement, torture, mutilation, and murder of tens of thousands of Native American people in the Caribbean islands during his quest for riches. Columbuss men used native girls as young as nine or ten as their sex slaves. Howell Public Schools Stance on Mask Mandate, In person school, more beneficial to kids. Is Columbus' tomb in the Dominican Republic or Seville? I dont think that we should start childrens education by saying that the country is built on the genocide of a group and the enslavement of another. His father was a wool weaver, and cheese stand owner. And maybe only one reason to celebrate. As a direct result of Columbus discovery, indigenous Americans were enslaved, killed and oppressed to such a degree that a population of around 60 million in 1492, fell by 8090% in less than 150 years. Nevertheless, Italians claim him today and Columbus Day is a good chance to recognize what Italians have contributed to America, and the world. I believe thats the tact to take when looking at Chris. Why Are We Still Celebrating Columbus Day? | Study.com The initial recorded Columbus Day celebration in the United States was on October 12, 1792. Columbus Day: Why We Shouldn't Celebrate It - MSU Reporter Understanding the Mysterious Kingdom of Shambhala, Alleged Sighting of the Mythical Manananggal in the Philippines Causes Public Anxiety, The Truth Behind the Christ Myth: Ancient Origins of the Often Used Legend Part I, The Evidence is Cut in Stone: A Compelling Argument for Lost High Technology in Ancient Egypt, Caesars Savage Human Skewers Unearthed In German Fort. Thats when learning happens. If this is what it means to be civilized and our children are taught to revere Columbus and his heroic adventure, what hope is there for our future? 10+ why columbus day should not be celebrated essay most standard Their spears are made of cane. Many believe that they sailed even further south, maybe as far as New Brunswick. His contract with the monarchs, called The Capitulations. Lets stop idolizing people in history who dont deserve it. Most of the time when injustices occurred, Columbus wasnt even there. Columbus couldnt be killed without angering the Italian court, so Queen Isabella sent him on a mission, hoping he wouldnt return. . I gave them many beautiful and pleasing things, which I had brought with me, for no return whatever, in order to win their affection, and that they might become Christians and inclined to love our King and Queen and Princes and all the people of Spain., Columbus usually treated the Native Americans kindly and brought them gifts in order to win their favor. Columbus Day is one of America s oldest holidays. Chat with professional writers to choose the paper writer that suits you best. Poll shows most Americans want to celebrate Columbus Day. Columbus Day celebrations date back to 1792, when New York City celebrated the 300th anniversary of Columbus' landfall. Columbus Day is a United States federal holiday that celebrates the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas in 1492. 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. Yet, what is rarely discussed is the barbaric genocide perpetrated by Native American tribes from Mexico to Peru against other Native Americans before the arrival of Europeans. Columbus never stepped foot on North American soil. Harvard Graduate School of Education All rights reserved. "Reason: he may have discovered America before Columbus; Columbus is now commonplace as . While there is only limited knowledge of what pre-Columbus America was like, it did feature war, slavery, torture and plenty of brutality. Mettler earned his Bachelors degree from William Jessup University and is an alumnus of the Young Leaders Program at The Heritage Foundation. Spanish conquistadors couldn't believe their eyes while exploring the rugged terrain of the Andes during their invasion of Peru. The Controversy Over Columbus Day Celebrations - ThoughtCo or redistributed. ), Christopher Columbus initiated the trans-Atlantic slave trade. It is claimed by these people that the enjoyment and simplicity of Columbus day is almost a mask or distraction to divert the people from the many indigenous lives lost after the discovery of the New World. The New World was discovered within the same timeframe as when slave trade had begun to arise. Captivating History, Christopher Columbus: A Captivating Guide to the Life of an Italian Explorer and His Voyages to the Americas, Captivating History, 2020 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. Archaeologists have been able to take a closer look at one of the United Kingdoms most famous shipwrecks. Indeed, Columbus was mostly benign in his interaction with native populations. Then, two things happened: either Chaos or Gaia created the universe as we know it, or Ouranos and Tethys gave birth to the first beings. When it comes to celebrating Indigenous Peoples' Day, I want to make sure we do justice to indigenous folks. 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. We need students to understand that Columbus is important, even if he isnt someone to be celebrated. America is celebrating. Last updated by Patrick Bennett on 10/02/2021. For this nation's over 5 million American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian citizens, Columbus' voyages to the so-called New World inaugurated a long history of exploitation, enslavement, eradication, and erasure (and he himself initiated and sanctioned such actions). But what exactly does it mean to be civilized? 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. But since the 1990s, a growing number of states have begun to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day - a holiday meant to honor the culture and history of the people living in the Americas both before and after Columbus' arrival. While Columbus Day is not a widely celebrated holiday, the question of whether or not to celebrate it are definitely up for discussion. Columbus Is Innocent of Most of the Charges Against Him, Christopher Columbus was not perfect, but he is innocent of most of his alleged crimes. Of course, I learned that everyone expected him to sail off the edge of a flat earth into space or sea monsters or something. The pro for Columbus Day written by John Wirt. 1. However, his other two ships on his first voyage were the Santa Clara and the Gallega. But I think considering the fact that Columbus also enslaved a group of people who were otherwise peaceful to him should be noted. There are many examples in his writings where he gave instructions to this effect. This was due to the impression that Columbus was attempting to spread Catholic influence.