Henry IV of Spain known as "The Impotent" for his weakness, both on the throne and (allegedly) in the marriage chamber died in 1474. He may have been brave for sailing out to find new places, but he was extremely greedy and killed, captured, and tortured people to gain money and power. Columbus said, It is hoped that by Gods assistance some of the continents and islands in the ocean will be discovered. Christopher means bearer of Christ Jesus and has been one of the most popular names in existence. Once we do this, Columbus Day can be a truly inclusive holiday. Columbus tortured and murdered many thousands of native peoples. History, in fact, is the story of conquest. In the year 1892, when President Benjamin Harrison declared Columbus Day a legal holiday, the Pledge of Allegiance was written. Immediately upon arrival, Columbus noted that the natives he encountered were kind and giving and that he planned to use that kindness against them. Yet, many continue to believe that America owes its discovery to Christopher Columbus. 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? In cities across the country there is a growing awareness of our collective and violent history and of the legacies that reverberate in our justice, health, and educational systems. The Mysterious Man from Taured Evidence for a Parallel Universe? The Etruscans, although enigmatic compared to the familiar civilizations of Greece and Rome, had a significant impact on the development of Roman civilization. The origin of Columbus Day is questionable. Breaking News: Worlds Oldest Runestone Discovered in Norway! Christopher Columbus didnt even discover Guanahani (todays San Salvador Island) in 1492. We in Carter County benefit from our forefathers building the Covered Bridge in 1882 and holding on to history and preserving the Covered Bridge! 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. He wandered around islands in the Caribbean, stealing valuables, thinking he was in Asia. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. A fact acknowledged by seamen then and now, Columbus was one of the best navigators and explorers the world has ever seen! Should columbus day be celebrated Rating: 6,1/10 1199 reviews. 1. And thanks for reading this. Two reasons why Columbus Day should not be celebrated is that we shouldn't have a day where we glorify someone who hurt and enslaved innocent people (Native Americans) and because he destroyed the tranquility in the slaves homes and land with genocide and abuse. Published 2:18 pm Tuesday, September 28, 2021. They brought their music, art, philosophy, medicine and many other things to America. 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. "To date, these are the oldest traces of human existence in the Americas," said archaeologist Niede Guidon who has headed a mission to carry out large-scale excavation of Piaui's interior since the 1970's. Like it or not, Columbus is a hero. In fact, that's probably all you really remember about the . ?>. History already is moving us to a better place. Not only was Columbus not the discoverer of America, he was also a malicious, egotistical person. The Natives were here first and so it should be Happy Indigenous People Day! Rethink Christopher Columbus Day. Indigenous Peoples' Day now replaces Columbus Day in 14 states, the District of . There are many strange mysteries that reside in history, but one of the most unsettling is that of the Octavius ghost ship. document.getElementsByTagName("head")[0].appendChild(s); or redistributed. 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. #knowyourhistory #happyindigenouspeoplesday #thetruthshallsetyoufree #christophercolumbuslies #christophercolumbusisamurderandterrorist @repostapp, A post shared by Chantal Lorenzo (@poetic_justice80) on Oct 10, 2016 at 7:11am PDT. -- Celebrate Italians (though there is some question as to whether Columbus would have considered himself an Italian -- he was long thought to have been born in Genoa, then an independent city-state in what is now Italy, though everyone from Greece to Portugal to Poland have claimed him as their own). Three other states New Mexico, Maine, Vermont followed suit this year. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Helping teachers pay for classroom supplies, Violation of the Hippocratic Oath and Nuremberg Trial codes, Against paying reparations to descendants of slaves. Not only did Christopher Columbus not discover anything, but he had zero respect for those who already lived in the areas he visited. Columbus actually thought he was in the East Indies. As a citizen, you need to be able to critically engage and reflect in a discourse around the public celebration and honoring of historical events and figures. Again, it would be like breaking American tradition if we stopped celebrating Columbus Day. The Zinn Education Project also includes a bunch of primary sources related to Columbus, such as writings by Bartolom de La Casas. We need to own it. The United States celebrates Columbus hardcore every year and children are taught all about his legacy, but he never actually stepped foot in North America. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. And to see that it is not the essence of Columbus, but rather part of the times. The purpose of his voyage was to find an all-water route to Asia. It was unofficially. 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? https://www.instagram.com/p/BojtcnmlBjE/?tagged=christophercolumbus. https://www.instagram.com/p/BobPj6lgcXp/?tagged=christophercolumbus. So before waving the US flag in celebration of a criminal who did not discover America, spare a thought for the millions of Native Americans who were murdered as a result of Christopher Columbus arrival on American soil. It is on public record, that Columbus rewarded his soldiers by giving them Native Americans to rape. 2. Stay Out of the Water: Does a Prehistoric Shark Still Live in the Ocean? The Italian navigator's three ships, sailing at the behest . Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Here are Five Reasons Why 2 2.Columbus Day 2022 - Facts, Celebrations & Controversy - HISTORY; 3 3.Save Columbus Day - - Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America; 4 4.Twelve Reasons NOT to Celebrate Columbus Day - Daniel Berenson; 5 5.Why Columbus Day Continues to Be Celebrated in Parts of the U.S. 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.. 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. I think there is a ton of potential in celebrating an Indigenous Peoples' Day, but what that is, what it looks like we need to start with asking indigenous folks to define it. Please follow him or give him some claps please be sure thats in the plural if you enjoyed this. Rather or not you disagree with Columbus Day you can still take advantage of the Columbus Day sales. Yes, we have a federal holiday on Christmas, but Ill put that in a special category (which well call religious.). Thirteen years later South Dakota became the first state to do away with Columbus Day, replacing it with . They didnt have GPS or any of the fancy technology that we have today. Watch now to . A day to remind ourselves that October 12, 1492 was the first day of . Indigenous cultures are rich and diverse. Martin Luther was another famous one who wasnt perfect but we still remember him for everything that he did. For instance, they lay out what specific textbooks omitted about Columbuss involvement with the slave trade and genocide. Howard Zinns A Peoples History of the United States includes horrific, detailed eyewitness accounts of how the Spanish explorers treated the Native Americans. But that, for better or worse, is how history worked pretty much everywhere for thousands of years. Columbus Day is one of the only holidays named after a person, Christopher Columbus. Rather than celebrate, we believe it should be a day to mourn the destruction of an indigenous population which had lived in peace for tens of thousands of years before Columbus a rapist and murderer set foot on American soil. For if we celebrate Columbus, we are celebrating a racist genocide, massive land robbery, barbaric slavery, serial rape and systemic torture. In fact, he never even landed on the mainland. Its a great time to start buying for Christmas and save. Writing Prompt You can respond on this page, if you like.--What do you know about Christopher Columbus? collected. For example, in the United States, Columbus Day occurs every year on the second Monday of October, to roughly correspond with Columbus' arrival on his first voyage. Due to the debates about Columbus Day and how some people feel about him, 22 states dont celebrate it. It requires looking at dominant narratives and counternarratives. One hundred years ago this month, Colorado Sen. Casimo . For much of its history, the United States considered Columbus a man worthy of admiration. Some schools, cities, and institutions, such as the. Why is this? Christopher Columbus argued that because they lacked . Breaking: Ancient Royal Tomb Discovered in Egypt. Columbus was in the neighborhood of the Caribs, a violent people who captured and consumed other human beings. Some of the anti-Columbus arguments. Since then, its spread across the nation with increasing speed, as more than 60 cities from Maine to Washington have supported the idea. We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. He was neither honorable, nor exemplary; he was a mass murderer, so we should not honor him with a holiday. Violence against natives is often cited as a reason to not celebrate Columbus day. 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. The fact is, it would change history if the USA decided to stop celebrating Columbus Day all together. CONTACT US: Here are three reasons we shouldn't celebrate Columbus Day, as a country. Today, many tend to use Columbus as their scapegoat for sins that might have been committed over 500 years ago by the non-Native Americans. They imprison petty criminals while sacking the nation's economy. A movement grows to re-examine Columbus's legacy and abolish his holiday. cookie policy. Personally, I am not such a fan of Columbus but I do have some respect for him for just his voyage. Its a tradition to celebrate them. Along and through History, conquerors have had violent behaviour. One of the most remarkable is that of the so-called Spotted Lake in British Columbia, Canada. You need to be able to deeply understand the profoundly problematic past of this great nation. Then in 1892, Benjamin Harrison issued a proclamation encouraging Americans to celebrate the voyage of Columbus. Still, he was later pardoned by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain after serving just six weeks in prison and had a fourth voyage subsidized. Its just that Columbus was the brave one to stake his claim to a land that did not belong to him. Columbus DayWhy Do We Celebrate It? Or better yet, follow him. Whether or not you celebrate Columbus Day is your choice. How weird is that?! Warren H. Carroll describes the natives (the Taino people) as a gentle, happy, attractive people living peacefully in good ecological balance with their surroundings in Article The explorers took advantage of these good people, and we celebrate that as a national holiday. 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 of the states that dont celebrate Columbus Day include Oregon, Hawaii and Alaska. George Orwell said, The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history. George Santayana said, Those who do not know historys mistakes are doomed to repeat them! Christians are like Columbus looking for a new world and a new body our Savior Jesus will give us at the rapture. Millions of people across the USA chose to honor Columbus and all that he accomplished. A new Marist poll finds 56 percent of Americans admire Columbus and support Columbus Day. In 1892 the Pledge of Allegiance was written to honor him Italian heritage. Wed rather celebrate indigenous peoples, the original, real natives of America. Columbus stole gold and valuables from native people, often killing to get them, and brought them back to Spain. Many Indian females were taken as sex slaves, some as young as nine and ten years old. 6. They also show evidence that at least 12 other groups of people entered the Americas before Columbus. . He stopped at the Canary Islands for a final restocking and left there on September 6. And Erickson was certainly as European as Columbus (at least in todays geographical terminology.) We all know that the ancient world was a violent place, but we often dont appreciate just how violent it was. https://www.instagram.com/p/BoiGlYJFgrk/?tagged=christophercolumbus. Columbus couldnt be killed without angering the Italian court, so Queen Isabella sent him on a mission, hoping he wouldnt return. (BTW, you can find a list of over 40 of his articles here.). The Stories Behind Seven of the Worst Massacres in Ancient History. Can We at Least Cancel the D-List Historical Racists? They are blaming Columbus for the things he didnt do, Delaney explains. The Encyclopedia Britannica describes him as a "master navigator and admiral." He sailed to numerous places beginning his career as a merchant marine. Christopher Columbus was a horrendous person who enslaved the indigenous peoples of the lands he traveled to. A Traveling Gown With History Goes On Display, Christopher Columbus wasnt American! Even perpetually leftward NPR admitted today . Tarchon and Tyrrhenus: The Etruscan Romulus and Remus? . The arrival of Columbus in 1492 marks the beginning of recorded history in America and opened relations between the Americas and the rest of the world. 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. 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. Their depictions of the new world were seemingly different and each explorer possessed. History, in fact, is the story of conquest. He could have just stayed at his location and let many questions go unanswered. Back in 1992 500 years after Columbus's fateful landing in the Caribbean Berkeley, Calif., was the first American city to repurpose his day in honor of Native America. Check out these 10 Reasons Why We Celebrate Columbus Day and you can decide for yourself as to if we should or shouldnt after reading them. He did introduce Europe to the New World but he was not even the first person to land in the Americas, like the myths would have you believe (Article 3). Columbus Day is a patriotic holiday. They are not on a side. I want to make sure we do justice to indigenous folks. Columbus is a hero Lets look at Columbus himself, to see if he meets the definition. My Columbus Day is one of America's oldest holidays. Christopher Columbus: Hero or Zero? Columbus Day, the second Monday in October, is a nationally recognized holiday. Without those contributions we might not see each other as equal or be free like we are today. Not just Europeans, but everyone. I strongly believe that Columbus day should not be celebrated because of the torture, slavery, and lying that was caused by him. I am sure you are familiar with his legend which states that he was born in a manger surrounded by shepherds. In his diary, he mentioned gold 75 times just in the first two weeks, alone (Katz 13). They pit our government against itself and us against our government. 21 Royal Han Tombs Unearthed in China. 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. 6. 3. While there is plenty to criticize about Columbus, and what followed his arrival, I think this movement is missing the point. Many today hate Columbus because he was a devout Christian. The first Columbus Day was celebrated in 1792 in order to remember the historical landing's 300th anniversary. There were already people living wherever he landed. Again, what would happen to history if we all stopped celebrating it? #abolishcolumbusday #columbusday #3generations #adifferentamericandream #mniwaconi, A post shared by 3 Generations (@3_generations) on Oct 6, 2018 at 1:15pm PDT. Growing up, I wasn't exposed to this truth. He had many qualities that seemed to be admirable and a lot of people were proud of him. Worshipping great men has been a dominant way of looking at history. Order custom essay Should We Celebrate Columbus Day? In fact, Oct. 12 marks the day of his arrival in the Bahamas. Cambridge, MA 02138, Challenges? He gave hope across the land in dark times. Lost and Found Evidence of Extreme Size Life Forms Everywhere! Always trying. While some view Columbus Day as a celebration of Italian-American heritage, others see it as a celebration of European exploration and colonization. We should not be celebrating the genocide of Native people and teaching children in elementary school that Columbus is a good role model. However, despite his mistakes we owe him a lot for discovering the new world. People might think that they might have had easy sailing but actually it was just the opposite. 10 minutes with: Explore how the human body functions as one unit in harmony in order to life //= $post_title He was. According to, Columbus believed that he was playing a part in a divine plan to Christianize the world. In 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first to proclaim Columbus Day as a federal holiday. Here are five reasons we should still celebrate Columbus Day. The Isle of Pines Mounds: A South Pacific Mystery Solved? "It's difficult to think there exists a site anywhere with a higher concentration of cave art.". These contributions have helped shape the United States and include Greek democracy, Roman law, Judeo-Christian ethics and the belief that all men are created equal. , medicine and many other things to America believed that he was also a malicious egotistical... 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