(2020, Aug 20). Columbus set a precedent for exploration of the new world. Thousands of the Taino, or Indians as Columbus had referred to them, were shipped out to be traded internationally. Yet in the past few decades, something has changed. Columbus Day should be celebrated because Columbus had done a lot to get to the point of sailing. 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. When Columbus landed on the island of Guanahani in 1492, North and South America were . This movement sees Columbus as a symbol of destruction, and thus not to be celebrated. Elliott Lassitter and John WirtOctober 26, 2017. Alaska was second, in 2017, enacting Indigenous Peoples Day. Without him, the modern world would not be the way it is today. By REAGAN ESCUD SCOTT / Monday, October 10, 2022. We seek to retell the story of our beginnings. 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. He should be remembered as the cruel and incompetent man he was who let his sailors rape and pillage the islands they landed on as they pleased. The main reason some Leftists dont want to celebrate Christopher Columbus is because his actions supposedly led to the genocide of Native American peoples. 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. And maybe only one reason to celebrate. Poll shows most Americans want to celebrate Columbus Day. Its like me walking into your house (with my gang and all of us armed to the teeth) and saying, Wow, look what I found here, boys. Read More Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Columbus Day. Columbus may have recorded that he "found" America, but he was a. mass murderer. It is known by many as to what had happened after Americas discovery. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! 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. Columbuss men also killed off slaves whenever needed. Herman Lindquist, Christopher Columbus var han riktigt klok, Fischer, 1992, Captivating History, Christopher Columbus: A Captivating Guide to the Life of an Italian Explorer and His Voyages to the Americas, Captivating History, 2020, Encyclopdia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Christopher-Columbus. (Not that the West solely had these ideas, but it put them in a package that wasnt generally available elsewhere.). 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 . Aside from the despicable acts that Columbus and his people committed, there is plenty of evidence to show that Columbus was not the first foreigner to arrive on the continent anyway. 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. His father was a wool weaver, and cheese stand owner. Within a few decades, only a few hundred of an original native population of 300,000 remained. Columbus Day is a national holiday in the United States that celebrates the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas in 1492. To get a custom and plagiarism-free essay. First, lets just put aside the paradox of discovering a land that already had a population of indigenous people. We need to set the record straight early on. We need students to understand that Columbus is important, even if he isnt someone to be celebrated. The next obvious question is: well, if thats not his name, what were the names of his famous ships? We need to own it. Lastly, I would contend that historical figures should be honored by their great achievements, and not their mistakes or weaknesses. This follows both Minneapolis and Seattle, which adopted the new. Most Americans didn't even know much about Columbus until Washington Irving yes, that Washington Irving wrote. The United States and several Latin American countries celebrate Columbus Day to recognize Christopher Columbus striking land in the Americas and the mixing of European and Native American Cultures. The reason Columbus set sail on his epic journey in the first place was because he raped the 13-year-old daughter of a Spanish Duchess. In his free time, Mettler enjoys reading, running, hiking, backpacking, and walking his dog. Columbus went on forth with a lot of violence, such as cutting off a slaves nose/hands to signify power against them. He brought with him a letter from King Ferdinand to the Taino-Arawak Indians. Columbus didnt know shit about geography! And its fundamentally important that they do so. A recent Marist Poll shows why: Those campaigning against Columbus Day are in the minority. (He did follow his big brother to the Caribbean two years later.). Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) is generally considered to be a great explorer during the Age of Exploration . 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. What were his actual contributions? Those are important questions we want to ask as citizens. In a letter that has been preserved among his personal historical records, Columbus wrote that God inspired him to make a deal with his Spanish crew and stake his life on it. In response to the rebellion, Columbus ordered a brutal crackdown in which many natives were killed, and their dismembered bodies paraded through the streets. While we are thankful for this land we call America, it . Had he have given up, the world would be drastically different today. Here are three reasons we shouldn't celebrate Columbus Day, as a country. After his voyage to America, he became one of the most well known explorers of his time. Chris went to Spain and Bart to France. The West has its good and bad points, but its best ideasequal rights, freedom of religion, free speech, due process, open scientific inquiry, property rights and so onhave helped all people who adopt them. Lets stop idolizing people in history who dont deserve it. Destiny is currently enrolled in Columbia University's MFA Writing program. Upon arriving in the New World, one of the first observations Columbus made with regards to the indigenous people was the following: 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. Most people know of the great construction achievements of the dynastic Egyptians such as the pyramids and temples of the Giza Plateau area as well as the Sphinx. Then they would sail away together to claim their riches. Now, I got nothing against thousands of virgins or a good story. They would make fine servants. Henry IV of Spain known as "The Impotent" for his weakness, both on the throne and (allegedly) in the marriage chamber died in 1474. In a racially equal world, Columbus shouldn't be celebrated. They have no iron. As Columbus might have quipped, One good turn deserves another. Okay, he never said that, but his writings prove that he would not have been opposed to it in the least. Christopher Columbus wasnt American! Thankfully, Columbus Day has morphed into Indigenous Peoples Day. The pro for Columbus Day written by John Wirt. As known by many, Columbus Day commemorates the discovery of the New World by none other than Christopher Columbus himself. 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. The reason Columbus set sail on his epic journey in the first place was because he raped the 13-year-old daughter of a Spanish Duchess. Columbus Did Not Discover North America. Growing up, I wasn't exposed to this truth. And in general, we want to students to engage with controversy. Columbus was taking advantage of opportunities to find goods by getting the help of slaves. The Vikings sailed to, and colonized parts of Newfoundland, Canada, around AD 1000. Or Napoleon Bonaparte Day, for that matter. Monday marks Columbus Day, in honor of Christopher Columbus but not all will be celebrating the Italian explorer. "It's difficult to think there exists a site anywhere with a higher concentration of cave art.". Dominant narratives tend to speak about heroes in a simple sense; counternarratives can be much more critical. Two Reasons why Columbus Day should not be Celebrated, This example was written and submitted by a fellow student. For a long time, Columbus discovery of America was an universally celebrated event, both in Europe and America. Another reason why Columbus Day should not be celebrated is because it promotes a distorted view of history. In another case, some people think Columbus was a hero because he represents a leader who went far and beyond to find America. "Reason: he may have discovered America before Columbus; Columbus is now commonplace as . 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 cheekily claimed that he had spotted land a few hours before Triana and Pinzo, but that he hadnt said anything in case it was a false alarm. Her Campus may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. It is perhaps worth revisiting the two distinct reasons why we celebrate Columbus Day in the first place, and . 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. Please follow him or give him some claps please be sure thats in the plural if you enjoyed this. Historical knowledge can help students create an argument to answer those questions. But what exactly does it mean to be civilized? With three boats, the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria, he set out in search of a better trade route to India. 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. Many of those enslaved would die, and were then easily replaced by some brought from the Bahamas. Spanish conquistadors couldn't believe their eyes while exploring the rugged terrain of the Andes during their invasion of Peru. About the author: Daniel Berenson contributes to Medium now and then in this case now with original and unique views on such things as squirrels, politics, fairy tales, history, and Spanish telenovelas. It requires looking at dominant narratives and counternarratives. Today's woke perspective condemns Columbus Day as an unworthy holiday. ). 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. 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Usable Knowledge He completely miscalculated the distance between Europe and Japan however, estimating it to be around 2,000 nautical miles when the real distance is closer to 11,000. (And yes, I also know many other discoverers have been posited through the ages. Contrary to popular belief, Columbus Day is a celebration of diversity, not oppression. History, in fact, is the story of conquest. - IPL.org; 7.Why We Should Not Celebrate Columbus Day - IPL.org; 8.Why Columbus Day Should Not Be Celebrated Essay . Everything that he did sounded like it was so whimsical and as a young child yearning for an adventure I idolized him. His first impression of the Arawaks, one of the first peoples he encountered, was . Why is he important? In our opinion, this is something to celebrate, not the arrival of Christopher Columbus who led the way for these indigenous populations to have their culture decimated and their population murdered, displaced or forced into slavery. Bring them to the light, if you would. This new day was first adopted in Berkeley, California in 1992. As awareness has grown about the catastrophic effect his discovery had on Americas indigenous populations, it has increasingly been viewed as a disaster rather than triumph, and rightly so. Furthermore, Columbus continued to enslave Natives and abuse their nation, damage their environment, and their rights as humans. And Bart was left behind on the cutting room floor of history. Sorry, Mr. Until the mid-1700s, Christopher Columbus was not widely known among most Americans. According to a recent poll, 79% of college students support such a change. South Dakota was the first state to rename Columbus Day, in 1990, electing to go with Native Americans' Day. But our work was to exasperate, ravage, kill, mangle and destroy; small wonder," -Bartolome Las Casas, 1527. your personal assistant! At times, they would make an example of a Native by cutting his hands off and tying them around his neck, then telling him to go and 'share the message' with the rest of his tribe. This kept them from planting crops, leading to widespread starvation. But as I got older and began learning more about the history of the Caribbean, the glossy veneer of ol Chris didnt hold up. When he was only 23. he had the idea of going to India, China and Japan. We need students to understand that Columbus is important, even if he isnt someone to be celebrated. Be careful, this sample is accessible to everyone. Columbus Day is one of America s oldest holidays. And thanks for reading this. According to a census taken by Columbus' men, in 1496 there were more than 1 million natives on the island of Haiti. In an era where we are fighting for racial equality celebrating false heroes is detrimental to progress. Turning points are powerful lenses through which students need to view our past. Jarrett Stepman also writes in his book The War on History, What is never explained is why so-called indigenous peoples are worthy of celebration if Columbus is not. He shows the effect of willpower and perseverance. Diseases were spread and were not able to be resisted by the sick slaves. April Holloway is a Co-Owner, Editor and Writer of Ancient Origins. Yet, many continue to believe that America owes its discovery to Christopher Columbus. Not just Europeans, but everyone. The Zinn Education Project also includes a bunch of primary sources related to Columbus, such as writings by Bartolom de La Casas. Since then, it's spread across the. Although many people have adopted Columbus day as "Indigenous People's Day," many people will not agree that we should also have a holiday . Yeah. (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! He would have peoples ears and noses cut off as punishments. One of the (many) perks of growing up on an island in the Caribbean was that we could actually take a field trip to Columbus Landing a spot fairly close to my school where Columbus and his crew set foot in 1493 among islands he called Las Islas Virgenes, after St. Ursula and her eleven thousand virgins. Columbus Day, the second Monday in October, is a nationally recognized holiday. Columbus Day celebrations date back to 1792, when New York City celebrated the 300th anniversary of Columbus' landfall. Columbus killed a tremendous amount of people (genocide), and got away with it because of better equipment, men and control.

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