There has been much debate over whether or not Columbus Day should be celebrated. However, a circumspect understanding of history offers numerous reasons why Columbus should not only be celebrated, but . Be careful, this sample is accessible to everyone. Now theres a deed worth celebrating every year! Although many people have adopted Columbus day as "Indigenous People's Day," many people will not agree that we should also have a holiday . America is celebrating. She likes thrifting, romance novels, cooking shows, and can often be found binging documentaries. Alaska is said not to celebrate the day because it falls too close to Alaska Day (Oct . Who Destroyed the Great Library of Alexandria? Get in touch! Or better yet, follow him. He would have peoples ears and noses cut off as punishments. In the early morning hours of the third day on October 12, the lookout . So partly, out of spite, here are a few reasons why Columbus Day shouldnt be celebrated. "It's difficult to think there exists a site anywhere with a higher concentration of cave art.". And thats even if you discount the fact that native peoples lived in these places all along. 2023 President and Fellows of Harvard College, Who do we celebrate, and why? - IPL.org; 7.Why We Should Not Celebrate Columbus Day - IPL.org; 8.Why Columbus Day Should Not Be Celebrated Essay . The point is not to excuse the worst that happened, but to understand it. Columbus couldnt be killed without angering the Italian court, so Queen Isabella sent him on a mission, hoping he wouldnt return. Trends are really hard to detect in a country as divided as ours, but Ive noticed two developments in my work teaching high school and teaching at Harvard. Columbus Day was invented by the Knights of Columbus in the 1930s when they were looking for a role model for school age children. Like most Americans, I learned in 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue. Ingrained in my mind are the names of his ships: The Nina, The Pinta and the Santa Maria. 1. But by then he was hardly the first European. If you still think Columbus Day is something worth celebrating, here are five other reasons why it isnt: After studying a handful of his favorite books, including the journals of Marco Polo, Columbus became convinced that it was possible to sail directly west to reach the Indies, as China, Japan and India were then known as in Europe. Since then, its spread across the nation with increasing speed, as more than 60 cities from Maine to Washington have supported the idea. And thanks for reading this. South Dakota was the first state to rename Columbus Day, in 1990, electing to go with Native Americans' Day. Columbus Is Innocent of Most of the Charges Against Him, Christopher Columbus was not perfect, but he is innocent of most of his alleged crimes. Many of those enslaved would die, and were then easily replaced by some brought from the Bahamas. An angry mob decided to drag them. ," Jake Flanagin explains why many are arguing it . As I said in the beginning of this piece, Columbus did not discover what would become North America. Christopher Columbus was a murderer, rapist, and thief who did not actually find America, but indeed only visited a land where Native Americans have already been living. The City Council recently voted to get rid of Columbus Day and replace it with Indigenous Peoples Day, commemorating indigenous, aboriginal and native people.. And its fundamentally important that they do so. If we have a holiday honoring somebody, the question on everyones mind should be, Why are we honoring them? So, there you have it; five reasons not to celebrate Columbus Day this year (or any other year). Why is Columbus Day being renamed? Columbus Undertook Adventure for God and Country, After Columbus returned to Spain from his first voyage to the Americas in 1493, he wrote this in his letter to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella: They manifest the greatest affection towards all of us, exchanging valuable things for trifles, content with the very least thing or nothing at all. (BTW, you can find a list of over 40 of his articles here.). But its not recognized in Los Angeles, where I live. History, in fact, is the story of conquest. Columbus day is a controversial holiday, but one that should be celebrated. 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. 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. Or maybe even plan to discover your own new-to-you islands! Stupid but hopeful. Curious, politically homeless, always hopeful. For all the reasons listed above, and for how he acted during his stay in the Americas, Christopher Columbus should not be remembered as a voyaging adventurer who discovered America. 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. 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. Is Columbus' tomb in the Dominican Republic or Seville? As part of this plan, Spaniards aimed to convert native peoples to Christianity. Mother and Child Reunion Of Thetis And Achilles, Seductive Sirens of Greek Mythology and How Heroes Resisted Them, Celestial Goddess Selene: The Ancient Greek Goddess of the Moon, Pegasus of Greek Mythology: Majestic Winged Horse of Mount Olympus, Dreams of Human-Powered Flight: Daedalus and the Story of Icarus, The Warriors Who Shaped African History: The Horsemen of Oyo, Royal Mistress Jane Shore Walked Streets of London in her Underwear, Leonardo Da Vincis Notes Show He Understood Gravity Long Before Newton, Talks Begin on Repatriating Remains of Patrick Sarsfield, Irish War Hero, The Ramessid Dynasty: A Golden Era in Ancient Egypt, Unraveling the Mystery of the Carnac Stones: An Ancient Puzzle of Epic Proportions, Unraveling the Enigma of Aramu Muru, The Mysterious Gate of the Gods. 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. Had he have given up, the world would be drastically different today. Columbus was definitely a brave and courageous (and lucky) captain, but his navigational skills left a lot to be desired. To realize this dream, they split up. 4. ). If we need a national holiday for the second Monday in October, lets at least honor an AMERICAN who hasnt been shown to be the prime mover in the torture/death/destruction of so many people. Alaska was second, in 2017, enacting Indigenous Peoples Day. After his voyage to America, he became one of the most well known explorers of his time. This is also apparent when he was trying to get sponsorships for the trips. Without Columbus, the age of exploration wouldnt have been inspired in the way that it was, and has a vital place in American history. Two reasons why Columbus Day should not be celebrated is that we shouldnt 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. Lastly, I would contend that historical figures should be honored by their great achievements, and not their mistakes or weaknesses. Congress also believed the holiday would mark the contribution of immigrants to the United States. Archaeologists have been able to take a closer look at one of the United Kingdoms most famous shipwrecks. Well, the tough thing about labeling someone as good or bad is the definitions change with the times. Howard Zinns A Peoples History of the United States includes horrific, detailed eyewitness accounts of how the Spanish explorers treated the Native Americans. 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. Growing up, I wasnt exposed to this truth. But many would be killed if they did not accept Christ, even if they didnt understand what the Spanish were explaining to them. Once we do this, Columbus Day can be a truly inclusive holiday. Along and through History, conquerors have had violent behaviour. But heres the kicker. Why should we celebrate a man who promoted and distributed so much violence when we can celebrate and honor the history of Indigenous people? 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Not just Europeans, but everyone. Christopher Columbus wasnt American! The main reason Columbus Day draws opposition is because of how the explorer's arrival to the New World affected Indigenous people. 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. 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. Columbus went on forth with a lot of violence, such as cutting off a slaves nose/hands to signify power against them. Unfortunately, many irksome doings lay deep under the surface. And he was a talented astronomer and navigator. Or Napoleon Bonaparte Day, for that matter. In any case, we know for a fact that Europeans traveled to America almost 500 years before Columbus. "Ignore the propaganda and instead remember Christopher Columbus with gratitude and a clear conscience. Henry IV of Spain known as "The Impotent" for his weakness, both on the throne and (allegedly) in the marriage chamber died in 1474. Thats a lesson for later. On his 1492 voyage, Chris landed on a number of islands including some in the Bahamas very close to mainland Florida. Columbus Day is a United States federal holiday that celebrates the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas in 1492. But our work was to exasperate, ravage, kill, mangle and destroy; small wonder," -Bartolome Las Casas, 1527. Elliott Lassitter and John WirtOctober 26, 2017. For a long time, Columbus discovery of America was an universally celebrated event, both in Europe and America. It also became clear that there are many reasons not to celebrate Columbus Day. Columbus should not be celebrated, let alone given a day. Ironically, the District of Columbia is named after, you guessed it, Christopher Columbus. I gave them many beautiful and pleasing things, which I had brought with me, for no return whatever, in order to win their affection, and that they might become Christians and inclined to love our King and Queen and Princes and all the people of Spain., Columbus usually treated the Native Americans kindly and brought them gifts in order to win their favor.

North Dakota State Hospital For The Insane Records, Articles OTHER