Columbus day is a holiday that should have no meaning in the eyes of US citizens. When you think of Columbus you think of the person who founded America. Some might even say that he discovered that the earth wasn't round. Many cities and people say that he should be known for the truth. The truth is that he ruined the lives of thousands and thousands of indigenous people. His actions were based off of greed and just plain inhumane. Not to mention he started the North Atlantic Slave Trade. He created a mass execution. When you ask a person about America and who it was discovered by, sadly many would say that it was Columbus. In actuality, it was really Leif Erickson. Erickson was a Scandinavian Viking who landed on the shores of Canada decades before Columbus was even born. Plus the people known as Native …show more content…
We can still get a day off and celebrate our country in a way that does not require giving this putrid man a day of celebration. Instead of calling October 12th Columbus Day, let us call it Indigenous People's Day. This day can be used for us to remanence on the bad that Columbus did and how we have evolved from what America used to be like. We can also remember the lives of the Natives who were killed for not wanting to be slaves. "'in an effort to reveal a more accurate historical record of the ‘discovery’ of the United States of America,' and to 'recognize the contributions of Indigenous peoples despite enormous efforts against native nations.'" ("9 cities abolish Columbus Day in favor of Indigenous Peoples’ Day"). By changing the holiday's name and what it stands for, we can make a difference in the world. If we change this holiday for the good, Massachusetts and maybe the USA will be able to get past the myths of Columbus and go to the truth about the lives that were destroyed. We can stop teaching the youth what the government wants us to know and teach them what they need to
“In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue”, is the rhyme embedded in children’s heads in the first lesson of US history. However, beyond the discovery of the New World, Christopher Columbus receives no other mentions. Especially no one acknowledges that he was the reason Native Americans were mistreated and kept as slaves. Although Christopher Columbus’ actions are not all honorable he should still be celebrated during Columbus Day as a brave explorer who risked his and his crew’s lives to find a new way of travel and land. His efforts bridged a gap between the New and Old World and helped feed Europe, which immensely impacts our society. Because of his dedication and bravery to be an explorer Christopher Columbus Day should be celebrated.
The credit for this change of view can be given to Washington Irving, who wrote a biography based on Columbus in 1828. This biography romanticized him and gave people the idea that he was this courageous hero who despite people’s claims that he’ll never succeed, ended up discovering what lies past the Atlantic. This biography gathered the momentum needed to catapult the collective opinion of Columbus higher in America. As time passed, more biographers wrote about him which resulted in groups forming, particularly the Knights of Columbus. They’re the group that pressed for a nationally recognized Columbus Day, which passed in
Columbus Day was not always a federal holiday. Traditionally, the holiday was observed on the 12th of October locally. Columbus Day first became a holiday in Colorado in 1906. Through lobbying by Angelo Rose, Generoso Pope, and The Knights of Columbus, Columbus Day became a federal holiday in 1937. It was signed in by Franklin Roosevelt. Since 1970, the holiday has been observed on the second Monday of October. Columbus Day had lobbying against it as well. During the early days before information was not easily available, it was said that the holiday would be used to spread Catholic influence. In later years during the Information Age, arguments such as Columbus 's character or the genocide and slavery of the Indians became widespread arguments against the celebration of the holiday. There are also many arguments as to why the holiday should be kept. Columbus 's voyages led to the colonization of the New World. His expeditions spurred the Age of Exploration, where many European countries continued to invest in exploring for shorter and faster routes to India and the Orient, and new territories to claim. His voyages also led to the Columbian
Christopher Columbus does not deserve to be honored as a hero with his own holiday. Close to 500 years, people have praised Christopher Columbus and also celebrated him as though he was the one who truly founded America. Teachers teach students that he was a great man, also how he found treasures and land known as America. Students are also taught about the names of his three ships he used on his first voyage. However, they did not teach us the truth about Christopher Columbus, and his so called “discovery”.
Christopher Columbus has been discredited with discovering America, because for thousands of years, Native Americans had thrived on the land he claimed he discovered. There are also claims that the Phoenicians, Jews, Romans, Hoei-shins, Vikings, and the Portuguese landed in America long before Columbus; but these claims have yet to be backed by solid evidence. Columbus was not the first person to be on the shores of America, or maybe not even the first European; but when he landed, he brought the new land to the attention of a growi...
Although, Columbus may have done some bad things to America, he helped England, Spain, and all people to this day. When he discovered America he made it known, allowing people to travel there and begin a new life. Lots of countries honor Columbus, especially Spain. For his discovery we wouldn’t be where we are now, we might have still believed the world was flat. From the author of “Sail On!” he says “Columbus’ voyage made America known to the people of Europe. This truly changed the world. It is why Columbus is honored.”He will be honored for the good things we don’t need to ponder on the
In some respects, we can attribute the founding of America and all its subsequent impacts to Christopher Columbus. Columbus a hero in the United States, has his own holiday and we view as the one who paved the way for America to be colonized. However, people tend to forget the other side of Columbus, the side that lusted after gold and resources that often belonged to the native inhabitants he came across in his exploration. In his insatiable greed, he and his crew committed countless atrocities, such as torture and killing of defenseless natives. Columbus’s discovery of these new lands contributes profound and negative effects as future colonists arrived. “Zinn estimates that perhaps 3 million people perished in the Caribbean alone from raids, forced labor and disease” (Zinn, 1980). Columbus was seen as a cruel man, who saw the peaceful inhabitants as right for the conquering and lead to the devastation of the native population, yet is celebrated every October.
Other than what was taught in primary education I knew little of Christopher Columbus. I certainly did not know the truth. Educators and school board officials provided a faulty historical account of Christopher Columbus growing up. Most youth raised in America grew up with nursery rhymes and bedtime stories fictionalizing the heroic efforts and swash-buckling adventures of Columbus’ and men alike making their thievery and lack of concern for human life acceptable. All Americans including the Native and African Americans who were indirectly affected by Christopher Columbus via the slave trade and destruction of their people, observe Christopher Columbus Day. If this is so, why don’t we have a Hail Hitler Day? Hitler, though many see him as a terrible man, was simply doing what power hungry individuals have done for centuries. He simply took a page out of Christopher Columbus’ book destroying the weak and enslaving those left standing. In the case of Christopher Columbus quest for gold, he went to extreme measures to ensure he would get every last golden flake that glittered in Hai...
I think he accomplished many great things even though some of the things he hoped to discover didn’t go exactly the way he’d planned but that doesn’t mean he’s a failure. Even though he didn’t get to the places he wanted, he was courageous by actually going out to sea and wanting to go explore the rest of the world. Not many people would take such a risk but he was confident and adventurous about the things he was wishing to accomplish. Although I think Christopher Columbus was successful in a lot of things he did, I don’t think all of the things he did were good. Despite the fact that I think he was a successful man, I don’t think Columbus should be celebrated. I believe he should be condemned because the things he did weren’t that important to the United States of America. First, he didn’t actually discover America; there were other natives living there way before him. Secondly, some of the things he did to the natives were cruel and unacceptable. And thirdly, there were a lot more important people than Columbus that did greater things and they aren’t celebrated. I don’t think Columbus should have his own special day that we
These irreparable crimes committed against the Indians led to the extermination of millions of innocent people just for gold. Thus was the origin of Columbus Day (October 13th), the day the ship arrived in America. Columbus has been considered a hero and a villain by different groups. Whether he should be called a hero only would be up to individuals to decide. He discovered America but then, destroyed millions of innocent lives. Is Columbus a hero or a villain? You decide.
Christopher was and always will be a controversial figure on what he did and discovered. He did discover new land, but he did not get where he wanted to go. He always loved to and had a passion to sail. Starting from his first voyage he took his ownership and power way too far. I do not believe that Columbus Day should be celebrated because it honors slavery.
The second Monday in October is celebrated across America as Columbus Day. It is a celebration of the man who discovered America. In school, children are taught that Christopher Columbus was a national hero. In actuality, the man was a murderer. It is true that he found a land that was unknown to the "civilized" world, yet in this discovery, he erased the natives inhabiting the land. With slavery, warfare, and inhumane acts, Christopher Columbus and the men who accompanied him completely destroyed a people, a culture, and a land. These are not actions that should be heralded as heroic.
Christopher Columbus actually never discovered America. We all know that millions of people lived in North America in 1942 so he couldn’t of been first to step foot there. He explored the Bahamas, South, Central America, and an island called Hispaniola. He didn't reach North America, which was already clamed and founded by the Indians. You may remember people believed that an explorer named Leif Erikson reached Canada approximately five hundred years before Columbus was even
The spirit and values of a nation are reflected in the nation’s heroes. Christopher Columbus has been regarded as an American hero since 1792. Every year Columbus Day is held on the second Monday in October to honor the man and his legacy. However, many people debate whether or not Columbus Day should be celebrated. I believe that Columbus Day should be celebrated in the United States because he opened up the New World to Europe, inspired a spirit of exploration and adventure that still lasts today, and he showed the importance of diversity and understanding of different cultures.
One reason we shouldn’t celebrate Columbus Day is because he enslaved Natives to have them work. The text states,”The aim was clear: slaves and gold. They went from island to island in the Caribbean,capturing Indians,”(page 8