Christopher Columbus Failure

Since I was in elementary school, I was taught about various parts of history. A historical figure I remember learning about is the “magnificent” Christopher Columbus. He is in history books because he “discovered” the Americas. He even has an entire day dedicated to his name and “accomplishments”: the second Monday of October, Columbus Day. Columbus was an Italian explorer. Throughout his lifetime he went on four voyages. He proposed to find a westward sea route to Asia in order to have a route controlled by Europeans. Sponsored by the Spanish King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Aragon, Columbus set sail to the New World in 1492. However, he didn’t find a westward sea route to Asia. Instead, he landed on the Americas, and also encountered

natives. Not only did he claim many parts of the Americas, but eventually the natives living there were claimed too. Today Columbus is recognized as a hero, but he was actually more of a villain. Columbus does not deserve a holiday because he did not discover America, he enslaved many indigenous people, and he was an abomination of a human being. Columbus did so many horrible things; it is inconceivable to think he deserves a holiday.

Columbus is well known for discovering the Americas. Nevertheless, there is still a misconception among the public. Many people think Columbus was the first person to land in America, which is nowhere near the truth. Records show that Columbus only sailed to islands next to the Caribbean Sea and parts of Central America. He never set foot on American soil. While Columbus did land in the Americas, that does not mean he discovered them. There were already inhabitants there. Throughout all the Caribbean Sea there were Taino People. Columbus himself described them as “very well built, with very handsome bodies, and very good faces.”(Bio.) Many Spanish explorers were impressed with the civilization. The Taino had achieved construction of ceremonial ball parks, the development of a language, and the creation of a complex religion. Yet, none of that mattered when Columbus exploited them. In fact, Columbus wasn’t even the first person to find the Americas. The earliest known person to have landed on the Americas is Leif Erikson. Around 1000 A.D. Leif Erikson, a viking from Iceland, settled in Vinland which is now Newfoundland. This viking settlement lasted ten years, but because of their hostile relationship with Native North Americans they had to leave. That would mean Erikson’s discovery of America predates Columbus by almost 500 years, which would make him more deserving of a holiday than Columbus.

Many People don’t recognize the fact that the Americas were already populated.

The Americas were home to many prosperous tribes. For example, the Taino. Tainos were skilled at agriculture, hunting, and sailing. They had no calendar or writing system, but they did have a language. When Columbus first reached their homes, he was friendly with them. Once Columbus and his crew found out that the island was not Asia, he was desperate not to look like a failure. In order for him to not look incompetent he wrote back to the queen saying he could bring Spain gold, riches, and slaves. To attain the riches he so desired he imposed a gold tribute system where every adult Taino had to collect a certain quota of gold dust every day. If the Taino completed the task they would receive a token to wear around their necks, but If they didn't they would lose a limb or be sentenced to death. Columbus’ name is now associated with discovery, but the only thing he discovered was people he could abuse for

profit.

Other Tainos were forced into slavery. In order to get to Spain, they had to endure a rather suffocating voyage and were given little to eat. Many never even made it to Spain because they would die of disease. In fact, what killed most indigenes were the diseases that arrived from the Old World. Their bodies were not accustomed to these diseases. Having no immunity or knowledge of how to deal with these diseases many Tainos died of dysentery, tuberculosis, and influenza. Within 50 years of the European’s first landfall the Taino population became extinct. As a result of all of this, he instigated more slave trade, and caused an abundance of ramifications for indigenous people and people of color that they still face today.(Welcome to Puerto Rico)

The reasons why many people support Columbus Day is because they view him as a selfless and grand explorer.

However, his intentions for all of his voyages were purely for his own benefit. On his first trip to the New World he had already made a contract with the monarchy of Spain. The contract, The Capitulations of Santa Fe, named Columbus the admiral, viceroy, and governor of any land he discovered. Also, the contract stated that he could keep ten percent of any jewels, spices, or other riches he found within the lands discovered. Columbus himself recorded ,” Your Highness commanded me that with a sufficient fleet I should go to India, and for this granted me many graces. My eldest son should succeed me, and thus from rank to rank forever.“(Bergreen, Laurence. Columbus: The Four Voyages) It seems as if riches and power were the only things that drove him to explore in the first place. When he was on his first voyage, he said he would give a reward to whoever spotted the island first. That person was Rodrigo de Triana. Triana never received the reward because, according to Columbus, he actually saw a light in the distance before Triana, so Columbus kept the reward for himself. In his first voyage Columbus kept two logbooks, one with the actual distance from Spain to the Bahamas and one where the distance was less, in order to avoid a revolt. Columbus wasn’t a good explorer or a good person; he was a selfish, lying, devilish man interested only in an own

gain.

While there are people who despise Christopher Columbus, there are also people who enjoy celebrating him. Those who celebrate him see his holiday as a way of celebrating Italian heritage. When Italians started migrating to America in the 1820s, they faced inequality and discrimination. In 1892 the president at the time, Benjamin Harrison, “called for the observance of Columbus Day. He didn’t reference Columbus’ work, but the fact that America had come so far after 400 years.”(The Baltimore Sun) The first State to officially celebrate Columbus Day was Colorado in 1906. After all the discrimination they faced, Columbus Day made Italians feel like they were accepted. Other Columbus fanatics argue that he was very brave, and they admire his determination as an explorer. He led four voyages, sailed across uncharted waters, and with wooden boats that weren’t equipped for the water of the Atlantic. While these are valid points, Columbus Day was made a national holiday a long time ago. Now that people know more about what Columbus really did, Congress should reconsider whether Columbus Day should continue to be a national holiday. Columbus was brave and determined in some aspects, but those qualities don’t out way the fact that he enslaved a whole group of people and that he did so many other horrible things.

Strongly disliking a holiday may seem like a joke, but the fact that this holiday is celebrated reminds so many Native Americans of all the pain their ancestors had to endure. Their ancestors pain didn’t stop once Columbus died, but it continued into modern day. “He polluted relations between peoples who were previously unknown to each other.” (Bergreen, Laurence. Columbus: The Four Voyages.) Columbus’ slave trade set off centuries of pain for indigenous people, and it continues today as many natives fight for their way of life, traditions, and heritage. A compromise needs to be made. People should be able to celebrate Columbus Day if they want to, but it should no longer be recognized as a national holiday. A couple of cities, like Denver, have already changed Columbus Day to Indigenous Day. As the Italians once saw Columbus Day as their acceptance into America, the Native Americans should also have a day where they feel accepted by the nation. If relations with Native Americans and the American government aren’t solved, then the tension, fighting, and separation will continue. A nation divided isn’t a nation at all.