The first Columbus Day was celebrated in 1792 in order to remember the historical landing's 300th anniversary. Published 2:18 pm Tuesday, September 28, 2021. Christopher Columbus didnt even discover Guanahani (todays San Salvador Island) in 1492. Across the USA you will find that there are more monuments dedicated to Columbus than anyone else. 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. 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. The holiday is typically observed on the second Monday in October. Historical knowledge can help students create an argument to answer those questions. Without those contributions we might not see each other as equal or be free like we are today. Natives were murdered for refusing to convert to Catholicism. By 1516, there were 12,000. Violence against natives is often cited as a reason to not celebrate Columbus day. On his first trip in 1492, Columbus encountered the indigenous Lucayan Tano/Arawak on Guanahani (todays San Salvador Island in the Bahamas). 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. CONTACT US: In his diary, he mentioned gold 75 times just in the first two weeks, alone (Katz 13). But the trend to replace Columbus Day really gained traction in 2014, when cities such . Monday, Oct. 11, is Columbus Day, traditionally observed on the second Monday in October. It also became clear that there are many reasons not to celebrate Columbus Day. Columbus DayWhy Do We Celebrate It? We may not like it, but its our shared heritage. Wellesley should not celebrate Columbus Day, but instead Indigenous Peoples' Day. Henry IV of Spain known as "The Impotent" for his weakness, both on the throne and (allegedly) in the marriage chamber died in 1474. Columbus couldnt be killed without angering the Italian court, so Queen Isabella sent him on a mission, hoping he wouldnt return. Shop high-quality unique 12 Reasons Why We Should Celebrate Columbus Day T-Shirts designed and sold by independent artists. Here are three reasons we shouldn't celebrate Columbus Day, as a country. 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. Mo Rocca embarks on a journey to discover more about the explorer we honor each year. Columbus Day is a patriotic holiday. Shocking Evidence Homo Naledi Used Fire 230,000 Years Ago, Library in Stone: The Ica Stones of Professor Cabrera Part I, Two Sides to Every Story: The North American Martyrs Shrines and Indigenous/ Roman Catholic Relations, The Origins of the Faeries: Encoded in our Cultures Part I, Curse of the Buried Pearl: The Hunt for Ancient Treasures Part I, The Enigma of the Shugborough Inscription, Christopher Columbus: Master Double Agent and Portugals 007, Roman Sword discovered off Oak Island radically suggests Ancient Mariners visited New World 1,000 years before Columbus. If instead of Columbus, a Chinese marine had arrived first and "colonized" America, would be blaming the Chinese for the destruction of American civilizations? If we blame Columbus and the Spanish kings, we should also blame every other invader and conqueror in History. Whether or not you celebrate Columbus Day is your choice. Here are five reasons we should still celebrate Columbus Day. 7 Child Monarchs from History and How They Changed the World, The Chilling Mystery of the Octavius Ghost Ship, What is a Wendigo? History, in fact, is the story of conquest. //= $post_title How weird is that?! In the textbook of Bartolome de las Casas From The Very Brief Relation of the Devastation of the Indies, de la Casas said This was the first land in the. It says in Article 2, Within four years of Columbus's arrival on Hipiola, his men had killed or exported one-third of the original Indian population of 300,000. Columbus sparked the start of trade and European expansion and colonization in America, but he also wiped out one third of the Taino people by forcing them into slavery or murdering them. When the pendant expired, the Native American would have to continue bringing him gold. He would cut off the hands of people living in what now is Haiti for not bringing him enough gold every three months. We should not celebrate Columbus Day because Columbus was selfish, treated natives very poorly, and he never even landed on America. It was mostly the people who came after, the settlers. 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. One for every day of the year. Why is he important? Yes, we have a federal holiday on Christmas, but Ill put that in a special category (which well call religious.). (Not that the West solely had these ideas, but it put them in a package that wasnt generally available elsewhere.). Right now, across the country, cities and schools are faced with the question, Should we celebrate Columbus? Were facing similar questions about how we commemorate the confederacy and the Civil War. Upon landing on Guanahani; on October 12, 1492; he claimed the land for Spain, despite it already being indigenous land. Learn from history, dont destroy history as the Muslim ISIS did. Currently, the Commission for Social Justice is collecting signatures to Save Columbus Day. Italian America Magazine Freelance Guidelines, National Education and Leadership Awards Gala. 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? 6. Columbus Day Should Be Abolished. History already is moving us to a better place. 4. For starters, Christopher Columbus didnt discover anything. Venus Figurines Fertility Symbols, Portraits, Dolls, or Upper Paleolithic Porn? Columbus tortured and murdered many thousands of native peoples. In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue, or at least, that's what they told you in Kindergarten class. There are many strange mysteries that reside in history, but one of the most unsettling is that of the Octavius ghost ship. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. I doubt it. Instead, he saw some of the natives wearing gold jewelry and made it his life's mission to kill and enslave as many of them as possible to steal as much of it as possible. Why are we celebrating him? Yes, Columbus exposed the native peoples of the Americas to many atrocities, but you cannot apply the ethics of 2012 to the ethics held by people who lived in 1492. support@phdessay.com. Columbus Day is one of the oldest holidays in the USA He initiated a turning point in our history. 5. you to an academic expert within 3 minutes. [PDF] Should We Celebrate Columbus Day? We all know that the ancient world was a violent place, but we often dont appreciate just how violent it was. In actuality, he was not motivated by some noble reason, such as scientifically proving that the Earth was round, (Articles 2 & 3) but he and his sponsors, were motivated by greed and self-interest. What does your state celebrate? 5.Why Columbus Day Continues to Be Celebrated in Parts of the U.S. As part of this plan, Spaniards aimed to convert native peoples to Christianity. Due to the debates about Columbus Day and how some people feel about him, 22 states dont celebrate it. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. With our holiday consistently under attack, we are asking the White House to rededicate the Presidency to both the holiday and to our community. These ships were called the Nina, Santa Maria and the Pinta. Maybe this is why some states still celebrate Columbus Day. The Columbus controversy can also help students see that history is still applicable today. He wasn't the first to discover America since there were already people living there and others had known about this land. And its fundamentally important that they do so. In fact, there is proof that the Chinese, Greeks and Italians, all explored America before Columbus. His first impression of the Arawaks, one of the first peoples he encountered, was . 48 Vitosha Boulevard, ground floor, 1000, Sofia, Bulgaria Bulgarian reg. As Greek mythology goes, the universe was once a big soup of nothingness. (BTW, you can find a list of over 40 of his articles here.). Christopher Columbus found the Americas, but today he. Christopher Columbus: Hero or Zero? He was not good, or honest, or particularly creative or smart, and he does not deserve a holiday. 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. They reject the idea that it's a holiday about slaughter and enslavement. 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. Yes, this guy didn't commit genocide. In fact, the result of Columbuss voyages was mass, Columbus didnt do too well as a governor of these new lands. Worshipping great men has been a dominant way of looking at history. This indicated that the person didn't have to bring him anymore gold; at least for a while. database? Italian heritage. 10 minutes with: Explore how the human body functions as one unit in harmony in order to life //= $post_title Columbus never landed on mainland America (Article 3). Scholars Indigenous cultures are under threat of extinction. In 1502 a merchant and explorer by the name Amerigo Vespucci had came to realise that Christopher Columbus was wrong about the new world he had found. "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. Christopher Columbus departed Spain on August 3, 1492 for his first voyage. Columbus Day is one of Americas oldest holiday, and is a patriotic holiday. Columbus is also used as a scapegoat for many other reasons. Many Indian females were taken as sex slaves, some as young as nine and ten years old. And maybe only one reason to celebrate. Personally, I am not such a fan of Columbus but I do have some respect for him for just his voyage. Nevertheless, Italians claim him today and Columbus Day is a good chance to recognize what Italians have contributed to America, and the world. 1. Its a great time to start buying for Christmas and save. Columbus couldn't be killed without angering the Italian court, so Queen Isabella sent him on a mission, hoping he wouldn't return. Columbus has been admired for a very long time. They use whoever is foolish enough to help them. Columbus should not be celebrated, let alone given a day. He gave hope across the land in dark times. And thanks for reading this. So, why should we celebrate Columbus Day if he wasnt the one who founded America completely and might not have been the perfect leader? 1. 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. 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. 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. Usable Knowledge Millions of people across the USA chose to honor Columbus and all that he accomplished. (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. Monday, Oct. 11, is Columbus Day, traditionally observed on the second Monday in October. 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. #abolishcolumbusday #columbusday #3generations #adifferentamericandream #mniwaconi, A post shared by 3 Generations (@3_generations) on Oct 6, 2018 at 1:15pm PDT. 10 Shocking Facts about the Ancient Romans, The Secret Tomb of the First Chinese Emperor Remains an Unopened Treasure, Archaeological Treasure Trove! There were already people living wherever he landed. 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. 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, which is celebrated today in the USA and honours the arrival of Christopher Columbus to the New World, is an example of outdated and misguided history. Here are 10 lies and truths about Christopher Columbus that made us decide to throw away Columbus Day forever. Stanford professor emerita Carol Delaney marvels at the ignorance. https://www.instagram.com/p/BojtcnmlBjE/?tagged=christophercolumbus. Originally designated to celebrate Christopher Columbuss discovery of America, post offices and banks are closed, and stores hold major sales. Columbus had taken credit for things that he didn't accomplish. (function() { 2023 President and Fellows of Harvard College, Who do we celebrate, and why? The origin of Columbus Day is questionable. Columbus Day recognizes the achievements of a great Renaissance explorer who founded the first permanent European settlement in the New World. He took a chance along with all of the people on board with him. From the Bible Columbus would have known the scientific fact that the earth is circular (Isaiah 40:22) and that there are watery paths (ocean currents in the ocean (Psalm 8:8). Millions of people across the USA chose to honor Columbus and all that he accomplished. Although many people have adopted Columbus day as "Indigenous People's Day," many people will not agree that we should also have a holiday . . Columbus Day commemorates the landing of Columbus in the New World (on a small island off Florida) on October 12, 1492. Children are taught that Columbus is a hero, but since then, weve learned the history of America on our terms and realized that the picture they painted for us wasnt exactly as accurate as we once thought. You can use it as an example when writing Although his explorations were financed by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, Columbus was a native of Genoa, Italy, and over the years Italian . How could we look at this from a different perspective? Can We at Least Cancel the D-List Historical Racists? James Loewens Lies My Teacher Told Me, and his shorter Lies My Teacher Told Me about Christopher Columbus, critique how textbooks have covered Columbus. And #5 gets worse. 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. With all that, there are reasons to celebrate Columbus Day. A genocide happened in "the Americas," and it began with Columbus. This essay was written by a fellow student. He arrived in the Bahamas on October 12, 1492. Not just Europeans, but everyone. We in Carter County benefit from our forefathers building the Covered Bridge in 1882 and holding on to history and preserving the Covered Bridge! You need to be able to deeply understand the profoundly problematic past of this great nation. 2. In the early 1900s, leaders in the Italian-American community pushed to get the government to honor Columbus Day as a way to convince Americans to stop being so racist toward Italians. The "Indians had no immunity to the European diseases and they were easily communicable. He was in his youth believer in the theory of spherical. Hes been respected for a very long time What resulted was genocide, rape, mutilations and a variety of other atrocities. As if . They imprison petty criminals while sacking the nation's economy. It neednt be a battleground, but a chance to celebrate the best within us. Columbus Day is a national holiday in many countries of the Americas and elsewhere, and a federal holiday in the United States, which officially celebrates the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas, at Guanahan, an island in the Bahamas, on October 12, 1492.. Christopher Columbus (Italian: Cristoforo Colombo [kristforo kolombo]) was a Genovese-born explorer . Sometimes it is hard to do all the work on your own. On his return trips to . Columbus killed natives, stole gold, and never even landed on America. He and his crew were greeted with smiles, gifts and food. All scientific facts written in the Bible hundreds of years before man discovered them have been proven to be correct. He did reach the coasts of what today are Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic, as well as . Essay. 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. South Dakota was the first state to rename Columbus Day, in 1990, electing to go with Native Americans' Day. Northern Michigan University, 7.Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples Day? It is a polka-dotted body-of-water that looks so bizarre you could be forgiven for thinking you were on an alien planet. Save time and let our verified experts help you. 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. The Plague of Athens Killed Over a Quarter of the City's Population. Three other states New Mexico, Maine, Vermont followed suit this year. They pit our government against itself and us against our government. Indeed, the promise of the West has delivered freedom and bounty such as humanity has never known. 1. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bm8ejX5lr2-/?tagged=christophercolumbus. Paul reminds us in Romans 15, For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. Americans need to learn from our history. Writing Prompt You can respond on this page, if you like.--What do you know about Christopher Columbus? The City Council recently voted to get rid of Columbus Day and replace it with Indigenous Peoples' Day, commemorating "indigenous, aboriginal and native people." This movement sees Columbus. Watch now to . Again, it would be like breaking American tradition if we stopped celebrating Columbus Day. 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. Stay Out of the Water: Does a Prehistoric Shark Still Live in the Ocean? Columbus Day, the second Monday in October, is a nationally recognized holiday. var s=document.createElement("script"); s.type="text/javascript"; 6. 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Mission, hoping he wouldnt return Guidelines, National Education and Leadership Awards Gala is Columbus Day is your.. We at least 15 minutes that it & # x27 ; s a holiday slaughter. Treasure, Archaeological Treasure Trove Leadership Awards Gala government against itself and us our! Selfish, treated natives very poorly, and he does not deserve a holiday for! The idea that it & # x27 ; t have to bring him anymore gold ; least!
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