Christopher Columbus wasnt American! Columbus was definitely a brave and courageous (and lucky) captain, but his navigational skills left a lot to be desired. Why would an academic system praise someone who was so blatantly evil? Just bear in mind that the verb "colonize" and the terms "colony", and "colonial" derive from Columbus ("Colon", in Spanish spelling). Archaeologists have been able to take a closer look at one of the United Kingdoms most famous shipwrecks. It requires looking at dominant narratives and counternarratives. If we cannot honor anyone in human history that did not have flaws or imperfections, we cannot honor anyone at all. So partly, out of spite, here are a few reasons why Columbus Day shouldnt be celebrated. Without him, the modern world would not be the way it is today. Monday marks Columbus Day, in honor of Christopher Columbus but not all will be celebrating the Italian explorer. Destiny is currently enrolled in Columbia University's MFA Writing program. It neednt be a battleground, but a chance to celebrate the best within us. Yet, many continue to believe that America owes its discovery to Christopher Columbus. Below are five reasons why Columbus Day celebrants can hold their head high in 2019 rather than kowtow to guilt-based politics. Columbus couldnt be killed without angering the Italian court, so Queen Isabella sent him on a mission, hoping he wouldnt return. Bring them to the light, if you would. 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. And its fundamentally important that they do so. Everything that he did sounded like it was so whimsical and as a young child yearning for an adventure I idolized him. The Lefts hatred of Columbus is predicated on the idea that he represents the tyrannical, western force that colonized the Americas at the expense of those already living here. The Controversy Over Columbus Day Celebrations - ThoughtCo Like Andrew Jackson, Christopher Columbus is a historical figure who is celebrated as a mythical hero. According to, Columbus believed that he was playing a part in a divine plan to Christianize the world. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. A recent Marist Poll shows why: Those campaigning against Columbus Day are in the minority. A new intersectional publication, geared towards voices, values, and identities! Harvard Graduate School of Education matter in the end. Why We Should Celebrate Columbus Day? Free Essay Example In this 2014 piece, " Columbus Day, or 'Indigenous Peoples' Day'? But Columbus couldnt deliver on the gold claim. And, while we celebrate Columbus Day, we can learn from history and also take time to honor Native Americans. 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. 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. 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. 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. Thankfully, Columbus Day has morphed into Indigenous Peoples Day. He initiated a turning point in our history. Columbus is often portrayed as a heroic figure who bravely discovered America, but this narrative ignores the fact that the Americas were already inhabited by millions of people before Columbus arrived. The war against the Western heritage. We all own it. I want to make sure we do justice to indigenous folks. The truth about Columbus Day, explained | Salon.com But many would be killed if they did not accept Christ, even if they didnt understand what the Spanish were explaining to them. . -- 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). 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. As I said in the beginning of this piece, Columbus did not discover what would become North America. On his third, he named Trinidad and landed in present-day Venezuela. After you read both, let us know what you think by posting a comment. - 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. This follows both Minneapolis and Seattle, which adopted the new. What is Indigenous Peoples Day? Is it offensive to celebrate Columbus Columbus Day commemorates the landing of Columbus in the "New World" (on a small island off Florida) on October 12, 1492. A Blazing Weapon: Unraveling the Mystery of Greek Fire. Growing up in St. Croix, I had a fairly typical U.S. education with fairly typical U.S. textbooks as far as I can remember. Its just that Columbus was the brave one to stake his claim to a land that did not belong to him. Other times they would go and massacre an entire village. (Not that the West solely had these ideas, but it put them in a package that wasnt generally available elsewhere.). You can order an original essay written according to your instructions. 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. Columbus is also well known as a great explorer, and not the man he truly is, who hurt people in order for things to go his way and for him to get what he wants, which was power., Two Reasons Why Columbus Day Should Not be Celebrated. Since then, it's spread across the. Historical knowledge can help students create an argument to answer those questions. For a long time, Columbus discovery of America was an universally celebrated event, both in Europe and America. The idea that Christopher Columbus discovered "The New World" is one of the great fallacies of history. (He did follow his big brother to the Caribbean two years later.). Nevertheless, Italians claim him today and Columbus Day is a good chance to recognize what Italians have contributed to America, and the world. Once upon a time, teachers celebrated Columbus Day by leading children in choruses of song about the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. 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. Lately a lot of people have been putting down Western civilization, but its spread is one of the greatest things thats ever happened to humanity. It also became clear that there are many reasons not to celebrate Columbus Day. There has been much debate over whether or not Columbus Day should be celebrated. Very much like the lyrics of the famous She may be ancient Egypts most famous face, but the quest to find the eternal resting place of Queen Nefertiti has never been hotter. The artefacts include cave paintings and ceramic art depicting animals, hunting expeditions and the daily lives of people who lived around the Serra da Capivara in Brazil for tens of thousands of years. Top 5 Reasons NOT to Celebrate Columbus Day And 1 Reason To History comes with an agenda. In his role, he writes about current political issues, U.S. history, political philosophy, and culture. Examine Columbuss "discovery" of America. . That is, South and Central America to be exact. On his second voyage, he landed at Hispaniola, Cuba, and Jamaica among others. Not many civilizations were safe when invaders arrived, from Assirians to Vikings; from Gengis Khan to the Roman Empire; from the Jewish general Joshua to the colonial British Empire. Most of us can remember the day when Americans still seemed to like Christopher Columbus. 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. But heres the kicker. They have no iron. Although it has been a tradition in the United States to recognize this day as a federal holiday for many years, whether Christopher Columbus' actions merit celebration is now being questioned, and rightly so . (Sarcasm intended.) 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. Columbus day represents an exploration that lead to many discoveries and examples of leadership and control. Our writers will help you fix any mistakes and get an A+! They were the original immigrants to the New World, and deserve their remembrance. We are a hopeful species. 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. Why I proudly celebrate Columbus Day | Washington Examiner -- Celebrate the spirit of exploration. So the discovery of the Western Hemisphere should go to Erickson, no? 8 Reasons to Hate Columbus Day - The Daily Dot 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. There are also theories that the Irish arrived far before the Vikings, and that the Chinese and Polynesians may also have also visited the Americas before Columbus. If it wasnt for Columbus, the motivation for exploration and expansion wouldnt have become a priority because nobody knew about the Americas. This claim has been proven recently as Viking Leif Ericksson was the first European to discover the New World, about 500 years prior to Columbus' famous journey. The king wrote, We in his name will receive you with love and charity, respecting your freedom and that of your wives and sons and your rights of possession and we shall not compel you to baptism unless you, informed of the truth, wish to convert to our holy Catholic faith., Columbuss drive for exploration was religious. Who Destroyed the Great Library of Alexandria? On his 1492 voyage, Chris landed on a number of islands including some in the Bahamas very close to mainland Florida. We seek to retell the story of our beginnings. SHOULD CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS BE CELEBRATED? Listen I know almost everyone celebrated in history enslaved people. Get the recap of top opinion commentary and original content throughout the week. 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. Yes, we have a federal holiday on Christmas, but Ill put that in a special category (which well call religious.). Be careful, this sample is accessible to everyone. Here are my main reasons why I refuse to celebrate Columbus Day: 1. PDF what is now Haiti. During this first trip to what Columbus thought was If I sailed to Italy and said that I discovered this land in the name of Rowan University it wouldnt fly right? 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. 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. Even if we ignore that, this one still depends on your definition of America. In the early morning hours of the third day on October 12, the lookout . I remember learning about Columbus as a young child and I was in awe learning about the explorer. By bringing together top experts and authors, this archaeology website explores lost civilizations, examines sacred writings, tours ancient places, investigates ancient discoveries and questions mysterious happenings. 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. Hire a verified expert to write you a 100% Plagiarism-Free paper. Specifically, he is credited with being the first European explorer since the Vikings to explore the New World for Europeans. The evil deeds of Columbus far outweigh the few accomplishments he achieved. Not just Europeans, but everyone. He is an inspiration to many young people. To get a custom and plagiarism-free essay. 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. That's my nephew, Trinidad, reveling in the joys of Caribbean sailing somewhere between St. Croix and Buck Island aboard Teroro II. "This historically problematic holiday Columbus never actually set foot on the continental U.S. has made an increasing number of people wince, given the enslavement and genocide of Native. Columbus made a total of four voyages to the Americas, visiting the following places (and sighting many others): Interestingly, Columbus never set foot in modern-day USA, nor anywhere else in North America. 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. The first reason for why Christopher Columbus should not be celebrated is because he committed mass genocide against the Native Americans. Columbus Day: Should it be considered a federal holiday? On October 11, 2021, America officially recognized the inhumane treatment that the Native Americans faced for centuries and honored the brave warriors who fought against the oppression and genocide of their people. And Washington, D.C., this week renamed the holiday, pending congressional approval. On October 12,1792was when it was first celebrated. He would cut off the hands of people living in what now is Haiti for not bringing him enough gold every three months. Why is he important? You need to be able to deeply understand the profoundly problematic past of this great nation. Why more people are celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day Lastly, I would contend that historical figures should be honored by their great achievements, and not their mistakes or weaknesses. Now that the truth is becoming more widely known, people are pressuring their communities to stop celebrating Columbus Day. So, there you have it; five reasons not to celebrate Columbus Day this year (or any other year). Columbus Day should be celebrated because Columbus had done a lot to get to the point of sailing.
5 reasons why columbus day should not be celebrated
