Hence, the inducement cited above.). If it wasn't for Columbus, the motivation for exploration and expansion wouldn't have become a priority because nobody knew about the Americas. This follows both Minneapolis and Seattle, which adopted the new. Columbus never stepped foot on North American soil. Columbus tortured and murdered many thousands of native peoples. Wrong, it was his younger brother Bartholomews. While we are thankful for this land we call America, it . We think of Columbus Day as a heroic and triumphant day ever since 1970, when the holiday was legally made a national holiday. 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. Even the Iroquoian peoples, located in present Northeast United States, often took slaves of other tribes. But as I grew older, it became clear that history is murky. One of the best parts of our humanity is that sense of discovery. 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. 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 . Today's woke perspective condemns Columbus Day as an unworthy holiday. Mudlarker Finds Bronze Age Shoe on a UK Riverbank Dated 2,800 Years Old! Then, two things happened: either Chaos or Gaia created the universe as we know it, or Ouranos and Tethys gave birth to the first beings. But that, for better or worse, is how history worked pretty much everywhere for thousands of years. Yes, we have a federal holiday on Christmas, but Ill put that in a special category (which well call religious.). Then they would sail away together to claim their riches. The tradition of observing Columbus Day dates back to the 18th century. Diseases were spread and were not able to be resisted by the sick slaves. Architecture of the Floating (Or Sinking) City: How Was Venice Built? Since August, eight cities have replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples' Day, including several in just the last week. Areas within Texas and California began celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day as a means of pointing the spotlight on the natives, rather than Columbus himself. All rights reserved. Thankfully, Columbus Day has morphed into Indigenous Peoples Day. The opposition towards Christopher Columbus did not commence in todays society, or even the 21st century. 1. Throughout the history of civilization, the concept of the apocalypse has been ever present, in one way or another. A new intersectional publication, geared towards voices, values, and identities! As part of this plan, Spaniards aimed to convert native peoples to Christianity. Columbus Personified the American Spirit Columbus was a brilliant man in his own right. 2023 PapersOwl.com - All rights reserved. Columbus went on forth with a lot of violence, such as cutting off a slaves nose/hands to signify power against them. Columbus Day is one of America s oldest holidays. Columbus set a precedent for exploration of the new world. President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed Columbus Day a. Retrieved from https://papersowl.com/examples/two-reasons-why-columbus-day-should-not-be-celebrated/. 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). Are the Misty Peaks of the Azores Remnants of the Legendary Atlantis? Columbus wanted to test this idea. I dont think that we should start childrens education by saying that the country is built on the genocide of a group and the enslavement of another. 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. Between 1482 and 1485 Columbus traded along the Guinea and Gold coasts of tropical West Africa and made at least one voyage to Elmina, Ghana. After all of this, he made four transatlantic voyages to the new world beginning with his first famed voyage in 1492. There are many good reasons as to why Columbus Day is such a controversial holiday. Nevertheless, Italians claim him today and Columbus Day is a good chance to recognize what Italians have contributed to America, and the world. First of all, Christopher Columbus isnt even his name. The pro for Columbus Day written by John Wirt. This essay is available online and might have been used by another student. 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. Give me your paper requirements and I connect you to an academic expert. Columbus Day, which is celebrated on the second Monday of October each year, has become a controversial subject for many people. 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Its just that Columbus was the brave one to stake his claim to a land that did not belong to him. 1. 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. SHOULD CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS BE CELEBRATED? 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 . This has started to cause a change, and many cities within America have taken on a remuneration for the controversial holiday. Some committed suicide to avoid subjugation, others fled, but many rebelled. 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. 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. Columbus Day is a national holiday in the United States that celebrates the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas in 1492. Thousands of the Taino, or Indians as Columbus had referred to them, were shipped out to be traded internationally. Columbus Day is celebrated on the second Monday of October. (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. Historical knowledge can help students create an argument to answer those questions. Not just Europeans, but everyone. Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment. "Ignore the propaganda and instead remember Christopher Columbus with gratitude and a clear conscience. That's my nephew, Trinidad, reveling in the joys of Caribbean sailing somewhere between St. Croix and Buck Island aboard Teroro II. Thats when learning happens. Last updated by Patrick Bennett on 10/02/2021. Since then, its spread across the nation with increasing speed, as more than 60 cities from Maine to Washington have supported the idea. 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. The holiday celebrates . And thanks for reading this. Likewise, Thomas Jefferson, also a slave owner, should be remembered for writing one of the most brilliant documents in the history of mankind, the Declaration of Independence, which contributed greatly to the ending of slavery and segregation in the United States. As known by many, Columbus Day commemorates the discovery of the New World by none other than Christopher Columbus himself. Read more TOM GRALISH / Staff Photographer by Staff Reports If we have a holiday honoring somebody, the question on everyones mind should be, Why are we honoring them? (He did follow his big brother to the Caribbean two years later.). 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 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. Most Americans didn't even know much about Columbus until Washington Irving yes, that Washington Irving wrote. Rather than celebrate, we believe it should be a day to mourn the destruction of an indigenous population which had lived in peace for tens of thousands of years before Columbus a rapist and murderer set foot on American soil. Her Campus may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Columbus day is a controversial holiday, but one that should be celebrated. The Columbus controversy can also help students see that history is still applicable today. Christopher Columbus wasnt American! Give us your paper requirements, choose a writer and well deliver the highest-quality essay! Archaeologists have been able to take a closer look at one of the United Kingdoms most famous shipwrecks. As of September 2019, nine states (Alaska, Minnesota, Vermont, South Dakota, New Mexico, Oregon, Maine and Louisiana) have replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples' Day. It involves grappling with multiple perspectives, a fundamental skill for historians. Yet, despite all the gruesome sacrifice and slavery, some still wish to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day. When Columbus arrived in 1492, he enslaved the Natives, and took control over their way of life, and also made his way into the Caribbean Island. 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. -- Celebrate the spirit of exploration.