Stupid but hopeful. Curious, politically homeless, always hopeful. Columbus was from a middle class family. So the discovery of the Western Hemisphere should go to Erickson, no? (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! Some of my students entered high school aware of the problematic nature of Columbus but their thinking is, Well, Columbus is not important to study, because he didnt do anything. We have to push back on that. When I got to high school and learned the truth about Columbus I felt betrayed. Last updated by Patrick Bennett on 10/02/2021. After you read both, let us know what you think by posting a comment. Columbus Day, which is celebrated on the second Monday of October each year, has become a controversial subject for many people. I'm Amy, 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). It was President Franklin Delano Roosevelt that designated the second Monday of October (Columbus Day) as a national holiday in 1971. Religion was heavily forced upon the Native American tribes, and the Europeans means of dealing with their obstacles run much more inhumane. He would cut off the hands of people living in what now is Haiti for not bringing him enough gold every three months. Once we do this, Columbus Day can be a truly inclusive holiday. Two Reasons why Columbus Day should not be Celebrated, This example was written and submitted by a fellow student. Ancient Chinese Earthquake Detector Invented 2,000 Years Ago Really Worked! However, a circumspect understanding of history offers numerous reasons why Columbus should not only be celebrated, but . But Columbus couldnt deliver on the gold claim. See how Columbus Day actually become a holiday and find out who celebrates it. He was turned down from the Portuguese crown, Genoa crown, Venice crown, and English crown. It was first celebrated on October 12, 1792, when the New York Society of Tammany honored Columbus on the 300th anniversary of his first voyage. Interests? Lets look at Columbus himself, to see if he meets the definition. Give me your paper requirements and I connect you to an academic expert. The next obvious question is: well, if thats not his name, what were the names of his famous ships? When confronted with evidence to the contrary, he simply could not conceive of the the idea that he might be wrong. If it wasnt for Columbus, the motivation for exploration and expansion wouldnt have become a priority because nobody knew about the Americas. European settlers not only introduced new diseases to the Americas that wiped out scores of Indigenous people, but also warfare, colonization, enslavement, and torture. 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. It not only invalidates the legitimacy of the natives people claim to their land but also projects the notion that the natives arent people at all. Columbus should not be celebrated, let alone given a day. Italian heritage. Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress, University Overrules Student Senate Activists; Recognizes Conservative Club, A Mansion, Yemen, and Stories of Gods Goodness, Tennessee and Mississippi Pass Bills to Protect Children from Harmful Sex Change Procedures. Columbus wanted to expand knowledge about the world and what more it consisted of by going across the ocean. On October 11, 2021, America officially recognized the inhumane treatment that the Native Americans faced for centuries and honored the brave warriors who fought against the oppression and genocide of their people. St. Ursula and her eleven thousand virgins, native peoples lived in these places all along. Like Andrew Jackson, Christopher Columbus is a historical figure who is celebrated as a mythical hero. Although Christopher Columbus is credited with discovering America, people had been inhabiting both North and South America for thousands of years before the 15 th century criminal explorer actually first set foot there. Captivating History, Christopher Columbus: A Captivating Guide to the Life of an Italian Explorer and His Voyages to the Americas, Captivating History, 2020 (He did follow his big brother to the Caribbean two years later.). To realize this dream, they split up. Columbus Day was a solution to a problem that most people didn't know existed. Get the recap of top opinion commentary and original content throughout the week. Sure, Chris had been sailing since age 14. Columbus day is a controversial holiday, but one that should be celebrated. And its fundamentally important that they do so. I'm not the only Italian American on board with ditching the holiday. When he was only 23. he had the idea of going to India, China and Japan. America is celebrating. Furthermore, Columbus continued to enslave Natives and abuse their nation, damage their environment, and their rights as humans. 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. It doesn't make sense for the United States to recognize this supposed Christian with ashow more content Itd be ludicrous to say that Columbuswasnt guilty by association. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. 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. But as far as I know, no U.S. landfall. But you didnt discover a place that was already inhabited by a peaceful group of people. Zachary Mettler works as a staff writer and communications liaison for The Daily Citizen at Focus on the Family. 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. He never set foot on any part of the 50 United States. Although Columbus Day remains a national holiday, given the criticism surrounding the day, some states and cities have opted to celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day instead. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. In another case, some people think Columbus was a hero because he represents a leader who went far and beyond to find America. We still have to understand the time he was born but Christopher Columbus. And, while we celebrate Columbus Day, we can learn from history and also take time to honor Native Americans. Most Americans didn't even know much about Columbus until Washington Irving yes, that Washington Irving wrote. Now that the truth is becoming more widely known, people are pressuring their communities to stop celebrating Columbus Day. Archaeologists have been able to take a closer look at one of the United Kingdoms most famous shipwrecks. Historical knowledge can help students create an argument to answer those questions. The idea that Christopher Columbus discovered "The New World" is one of the great fallacies of history. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Columbus wanted to test this idea. As these texts have become popular, and more history teachers have read them, more students have learned a more accurate account of Columbus from a younger age. Columbus Day Should Not Be Celebrated. Columbus was a brilliant man in his own right. Columbus couldn't be killed without angering the Italian court, so Queen Isabella sent him on a mission, hoping he wouldn't return. Listen I know almost everyone celebrated in history enslaved people. And most believe the idea came from their familys time in Iceland. 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 . Published: October 7, 2021 8.23am EDT Updated: October 7, 2021 9.53am EDT. Turning points are powerful lenses through which students need to view our past. And maybe only one reason to celebrate. And hes credited for marking the establishment of institutionalized slavery in the West Indies. This is where many of the peaceful natives were met with brutal deaths onboard, whether it be from disease or mistreatment from the handlers. 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 I think considering the fact that Columbus also enslaved a group of people who were otherwise peaceful to him should be noted. 1. Why is Columbus Day being renamed? Many books and videos show depictions of vast work forces hewing blocks of stone in the hot desert sun and carefully setting them into place. He asked for 3 more days, and if land was not sighted, the crew could do with him as they wished. Reference list: Herman Lindquist, Christopher Columbus var han riktigt klok, Fischer, 1992. Thats when learning happens. 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Even after spending his whole career exploring the Caribbean, Columbus never at any point thought he had landed anywhere other than his intended destination, Asia. 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. Though it has its controversies, Columbus day should be celebrated. Yet, many continue to believe that America owes its discovery to Christopher Columbus. So yeah, Christopher Columbus, upon closer inspection, is a terrible fellow to honor. Dominant narratives tend to speak about heroes in a simple sense; counternarratives can be much more critical. Lately a lot of people have been putting down Western civilization, but its spread is one of the greatest things thats ever happened to humanity. We asked Eric Shed, a veteran history teacher who now directs the Harvard Teacher Fellows Program, to share perspectives on the changing currents around Columbus Day and the challenges of learning and teaching history, as distinct from celebrating it. So, yes, in 1498 and 1502, he did reach the continental Americas. This conflict between reality and fiction is what makes Columbus Day one of the most controversial holidays in America. A lot of depopulation was caused by suicides, including some parents killing their own children to prevent them from living and growing up as a slave. 4. It was still his idea to sail west, rather than east to hit the East Indies, right? 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. (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. Trusted by over 1 million students worldwide. Specifically, he is credited with being the first European explorer since the Vikings to explore the New World for Europeans. If instead of Columbus, a Chinese marine had arrived first and "colonized" America, would be blaming the Chinese for the destruction of American civilizations? Columbus went to live in Portugal. Surprisingly, this holiday was first celebrated by Italians of New York in 1866 honoring Columbus's Italian Heritage, but the official celebration in Spain did not . Both in an effort to secure funding for their expedition. The tradition of observing Columbus Day dates back to the 18th century. Although many people have adopted Columbus day as "Indigenous People's Day," many people will not agree that we should also have a holiday . As known by many, Columbus Day commemorates the discovery of the New World by none other than Christopher Columbus himself. 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. For example, a neighbor taking a stick and beating your child as some kind of punishment might have been perfectly fine at one time. If the commemorations dealt at all with the impact of European exploration on the indigenous civilizations already flourishing in these discovered lands, it was often fleeting. And he was a talented astronomer and navigator. 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. Some committed suicide to avoid subjugation, others fled, but many rebelled. He initiated a turning point in our history. Many people believe that Columbus Day should not be a federal holiday because Christopher Columbus was a terrible person. 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. 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. Ahh, well, semantics. It is on public record, that Columbus rewarded his soldiers by giving them Native Americans to rape. April Holloway is a Co-Owner, Editor and Writer of Ancient Origins. Read More ), Christopher Columbus initiated the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Columbuss men used native girls as young as nine or ten as their sex slaves. Yet in the past few decades, something has changed. How many countries award holidays to non-natives? He first went to sea when he was only 14 years old. Cathedrals are some of the most awe-inspiring structures in the world, with their grandeur and intricate details captivating visitors for centuries. Yet, despite all the gruesome sacrifice and slavery, some still wish to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day. He wrote in his log: They brought us parrots and balls of cotton and spears and many other things they willingly traded everything they owned They do not bear arms, and do not know them, for I showed them a sword, they took it by the edge and cut themselves out of ignorance. They would make fine servants With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want.. He decimated the native population. But the fact of the matter is that he started the colonialism within North America, enslaved groups of people, and laid out the groundwork for others to do the same is damning. Usable Knowledge But our work was to exasperate, ravage, kill, mangle and destroy; small wonder," -Bartolome Las Casas, 1527. This new day was first adopted in Berkeley, California in 1992. Don't know where to start? James Loewens Lies My Teacher Told Me, and his shorter Lies My Teacher Told Me about Christopher Columbus, critique how textbooks have covered Columbus. Thegoal of Ancient Origins is to highlight recent archaeological discoveries, peer-reviewed academic research and evidence, as well as offering alternative viewpoints and explanations of science, archaeology, mythology, religion and history around the globe. 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. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Columbus tortured and murdered many thousands of native peoples. He and his crew were greeted with smiles, gifts and food. These books have fueled the trends I mentioned around Columbus Day. Yes, this guy didnt commit genocide. Columbus Did Not Discover North America. The initial recorded Columbus Day celebration in the United States was on October 12, 1792. Of course, I learned that everyone expected him to sail off the edge of a flat earth into space or sea monsters or something. He read books, studied the ocean, and made a name for himself. When Columbus first landed on American soil he was met by the Arawak native Americans. Columbus and his men raped and mistreated the slaves, especially young girls through ages nine and ten. Columbus Day is one of the oldest holidays in the USA Observing Columbus Day started back in the 18th century. In recent years, the conversation has become more nuanced, as educators and people across the country have begun to explore the many reasons why celebrating Christopher Columbus is problematic: the violent abuse of indigenous peoples, the launch of the transatlantic slave trade, and the introduction of a swath of lethal diseases to an unprepared continent. 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? Specify your topic, deadline, number of pages and other requirements. Historical Figures Should Be Viewed in Light of Their Greatest Achievements, Not Their Worst Mistakes. The con for Columbus Day written by Elliot Lassitter.