5 reasons why columbus day should not be celebrated

While we are thankful for this land we call America, it . But many would be killed if they did not accept Christ, even if they didnt understand what the Spanish were explaining to them. Published: October 7, 2021 8.23am EDT Updated: October 7, 2021 9.53am EDT. Top 5 Reasons NOT to Celebrate Columbus Day And 1 Reason To History comes with an agenda. Columbus tortured and murdered many thousands of native peoples. Mettler earned his Bachelors degree from William Jessup University and is an alumnus of the Young Leaders Program at The Heritage Foundation. It requires looking at dominant narratives and counternarratives. Columbus Did Not Discover North America. For instance, they lay out what specific textbooks omitted about Columbuss involvement with the slave trade and genocide. 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. As I said in the beginning of this piece, Columbus did not discover what would become North America. Indeed, Columbus was mostly benign in his interaction with native populations. Columbus day is a controversial holiday, but one that should be celebrated. Lets look at Columbus himself, to see if he meets the definition. Columbus set a precedent for exploration of the new world. Or better yet, follow him. . Its important to learn about what Columbus did to Native Americans because not everyone knows the truth about him and his treatment of the Natives. Back in 1492, Columbus sailed across the Atlantic Ocean, where he. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. If the world was round, this was possible, he thought. And its fundamentally important that they do so. 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. The holiday celebrates . Yes, we have a federal holiday on Christmas, but Ill put that in a special category (which well call religious.). Columbus Day's only silver lining may be found at historically significant sites throughout the Caribbean that connect us to history. So the discovery of the Western Hemisphere should go to Erickson, no? On his second voyage, he landed at Hispaniola, Cuba, and Jamaica among others. And thats even if you discount the fact that native peoples lived in these places all along. Market data provided by Factset. If we have a holiday honoring somebody, the question on everyones mind should be, Why are we honoring them? This was due to the impression that Columbus was attempting to spread Catholic influence. According to, Columbus believed that he was playing a part in a divine plan to Christianize the world. Columbus Day celebrations date back to 1792, when New York City celebrated the 300th anniversary of Columbus' landfall. We may not like it, but its our shared heritage. 1. Columbus Day is one of the oldest holidays in the USA Observing Columbus Day started back in the 18th century. The Knights of Columbus lobbied state legislatures to legalize the holiday. This essay is available online and might have been used by another student. Please follow him or give him some claps please be sure thats in the plural if you enjoyed this. Along and through History, conquerors have had violent behaviour. As Greek mythology goes, the universe was once a big soup of nothingness. The Zinn Education Project also includes a bunch of primary sources related to Columbus, such as writings by Bartolom de La Casas. This kept them from planting crops, leading to widespread starvation. He initiated a turning point in our history. Here are three reasons we shouldn't celebrate Columbus Day, as a country. This is the Monster Celebrated on Columbus Day, The American Holocaust: Columbus and the Conquest of the New World, Multicultural View of Christopher Columbus Story, The Rise of Sexual Assault in the Military. We think of Columbus Day as a heroic and triumphant day ever since 1970, when the holiday was legally made a national holiday. Based on my experience, I think its vitally essential that teachers engage kids as young as sixth grade in questions that really interrogate Columbus. He would cut off the hands of people living in what now is Haiti for not bringing him enough gold every three months. Columbus Day Should Not Be Celebrated. In 1891, one of the largest mass lynchings in American history took place in New Orleans after nine Italians were acquitted of murdering the city's police chief. Read more TOM GRALISH / Staff Photographer by Staff Reports In a racially equal world, Columbus shouldn't be celebrated. On October 12,1792was when it was first celebrated. All rights reserved. 2. 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. For any subject. Of course, I learned that everyone expected him to sail off the edge of a flat earth into space or sea monsters or something. The act moved Veterans Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day and the new Columbus Day holiday to Mondays. Within the Italian community, Columbus Day symbolizes the legacy of their ancestors who immigrated to America, overcame poverty, language barriers, and above all, discrimination. If we cannot honor anyone in human history that did not have flaws or imperfections, we cannot honor anyone at all. Equipping students to grapple with the complexities of the past and the controversies of today, By grappling with the question of who we celebrate, and why, history teachers can help students navigate the complexities of the past, Resurfacing the lessons of Ferguson, which continue to resonate today, From Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day, Theres definitely a trend toward questioning Columbus Day. (2020, Aug 20). As a result, in 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Columbus Day into law as a way to celebrate the hero who changed the world (Bragdon 12). 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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. Contrary to popular belief, Columbus Day is a celebration of diversity, not oppression. There are several reasons why Columbus Day has become controversial. But as I got older and began learning more about the history of the Caribbean, the glossy veneer of ol Chris didnt hold up. Archaeologists have been able to take a closer look at one of the United Kingdoms most famous shipwrecks. In fact, a new exhibition in Brazil features more than 100 artefacts dating back as far as 30,000 years ago, 18,000 years earlier than previously believed. The White House is pushing National Coming Out Day as a way of changing the subject. Other times they would go and massacre an entire village. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. (And yes, I also know many other discoverers have been posited through the ages. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Of course, Christopher Columbus was Italian, and his day . 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. It involves really unpacking the past, looking for complications, and making a deep exploration into the people that made history happen, rather than just looking for a glossy overview. 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. . Market data provided by Factset. For if we celebrate Columbus, we are celebrating a racist genocide, massive land robbery, barbaric slavery, serial rape and systemic torture. The tradition of observing Columbus Day dates back to the 18th century. original papers. With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want.. - IPL.org; 7.Why We Should Not Celebrate Columbus Day - IPL.org; 8.Why Columbus Day Should Not Be Celebrated Essay . And #5 gets worse. Since then, its spread across the nation with increasing speed, as more than 60 cities from Maine to Washington have supported the idea. Posted by Zachary Mettler | Oct 14, 2019 | Opinion. Or maybe even plan to discover your own new-to-you islands! Ironically, the District of Columbia is named after, you guessed it, Christopher Columbus. We should celebrate Indigenous People's Day instead. But its hard for children to understand that someone who they were taught to idolize is a bad guy. Three other states New Mexico, Maine, Vermont followed suit this year. Nefer Say Nefer - Was Nefertiti Buried in the Valley of the Queens? Another reason why Columbus Day should not be celebrated is because it promotes a distorted view of history. And most believe the idea came from their familys time in Iceland. "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. Architecture of the Floating (Or Sinking) City: How Was Venice Built? "Reason: he may have discovered America before Columbus; Columbus is now commonplace as . Understanding the Mysterious Kingdom of Shambhala, Alleged Sighting of the Mythical Manananggal in the Philippines Causes Public Anxiety, The Truth Behind the Christ Myth: Ancient Origins of the Often Used Legend Part I, The Evidence is Cut in Stone: A Compelling Argument for Lost High Technology in Ancient Egypt, Caesars Savage Human Skewers Unearthed In German Fort. Get the recap of top opinion commentary and original content throughout the week. Lastly, I would contend that historical figures should be honored by their great achievements, and not their mistakes or weaknesses. Trusted by over 1 million students worldwide. Are the Misty Peaks of the Azores Remnants of the Legendary Atlantis? The idea that Christopher Columbus discovered "The New World" is one of the great fallacies of history. Columbus Day means that finally, America was economically assimilated to Europe, in those times peopled by Western dominant civilizations. Columbus Day is one of America s oldest holidays. 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. This movement sees Columbus as a symbol of destruction, and thus not to be celebrated. Here are my main reasons why I refuse to celebrate Columbus Day: 1. But Columbus couldnt deliver on the gold claim. But, again, no mainland United States. Italian heritage. The first reason for why Christopher Columbus should not be celebrated is because he committed mass genocide against the Native Americans. Though it has its controversies, Columbus day should be celebrated. Adults Especially Gen Z Identifying as LGBT. 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. Columbus Day is a United States federal holiday that celebrates the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas in 1492. Even the Iroquoian peoples, located in present Northeast United States, often took slaves of other tribes. With as simple of a description as that, one would wonder why so much controversy arises from a legal American holiday. But as I grew older, it became clear that history is murky. Columbus Personified the American Spirit Columbus was a brilliant man in his own right. We shouldn't be wasting our time on holidays that won't even. In response to the rebellion, Columbus ordered a brutal crackdown in which many natives were killed, and their dismembered bodies paraded through the streets. It took tremendous bravery to sail off into the unknown. 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. While there is only limited knowledge of what pre-Columbus America was like, it did feature war, slavery, torture and plenty of brutality. Americans have the right to celebrate whatever they chose, but the history behind Columbus Day is not to be ignored. He brought with him a letter from King Ferdinand to the Taino-Arawak Indians. 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. Though he didnt discover America, he was the person to show the rest of the developed world that there was more far away lands. America is celebrating. Destiny is currently enrolled in Columbia University's MFA Writing program. Columbus was wrong of course, and needless to say, he didnt actually discover anything the Americas had already been inhabited for thousands of years. But heres the kicker. Harvard Graduate School of Education Throughout the history of civilization, the concept of the apocalypse has been ever present, in one way or another. South Dakota was the first state to rename Columbus Day, in 1990, electing to go with Native Americans' Day. Columbus Day was a solution to a problem that most people didn't know existed. Norimitsu Odachi: Who Could Have Possibly Wielded This Enormous 15th Century Japanese Sword? Two Reasons why Columbus Day should not be Celebrated, This example was written and submitted by a fellow student. Monday marks Columbus Day, in honor of Christopher Columbus but not all will be celebrating the Italian explorer. Very trying! sums it up for Daniel, creator of Stories Guaranteed to Make You Sick, Dr. Crankenfuss books, Moose Jokes, & now Practically News. Alaska was second, in 2017, enacting Indigenous Peoples Day. 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. So why Columbus Day? Columbus killed a tremendous amount of people (genocide), and got away with it because of better equipment, men and control. While there is plenty to criticize about Columbus, and what followed his arrival, I think this movement is missing the point.

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