...Christopher Radisich Professor Kuo History 301 TuTh 9:30-11:00 Columbus Day Nearly every elementary school student is aware of the name Christopher Columbus and probably that he discovered America. Unfortunately for history aficionados and people who research their history will be disappointed to find out that the famous Christopher Columbus explorer of the sea was an avaricious, human trafficking, tight fisted person. With the knowledge of Christopher Columbus terrorizing violence, greedy, and racism one could not help but too question why their is a day to recognize this man for discovering America or anything for that manner. Their must have been a reason why a day was implemented into American society to honor Columbus. On July 21, 1892 President Benjamin Harrison issued a proclamation establishing the new holiday “Discovery Day” and even praised Columbus as a “pioneer of progress and enlightenment” but this political strategy had little to do with Columbus or discovery america. Although Christopher Columbus had not been a historical figure to reverie or respect, he was utilized as a symbol by Catholic Immigrants to find common ground among the vast majority of the American people and President Harrison saw their growing population as an untapped voting resource in the Midwest and Eastern cities. At the end of the 19th century, a large influx of immigrant, from different cultures came to American soil and were faced with extreme prejudice and discrimination. A large...
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...The United States only honors two men with federal holidays bearing their names, Martin Luther King Jr., and Christopher Columbus. When we celebrate Columbus Day, we are honoring a man who helped spark a holocaust situation of the people of America and the Atlantic slave trade. Furthermore, Columbus never set foot on the land we call the United States, nor was the first explorer to reach the "new world". Columbus's arrival in the new world was proceeded by the explorer Leif Ericson and others. The true discoverers of the land Columbus encountered are the ancestors of the native people who were living there when he arrived. Unfortunately, the public education system of the United States has failed to teach the entire truth about Christopher Columbus. All they know about is how the three ships sailed across the ocean blue. Little do they know about the mass murder, mass rape, enslavement, torture and the spread of Christianity using their swords. Columbus Day shouldn't be worth celebrating or having parades for. Columbus's "discovery" led directly to torturing and killing innocent souls on the island of Hispaniola. Initially, Bartolome de Las Casas states about the Europeans, "they behaved with such temerity and shamelessness that the most powerful ruler of his island had to see his own wife raped by a Christian officer" (Bartolome de Las Casas). In other words, the Europeans had no feelings towards the Natives and treated them like they owned them, which no one deserves...
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...Americans have different tribes and have culturally diverse groups, about over 500 tribes. Over the years, time and centuries the Native Americans have been misunderstood and mistreated, even by their own conquerors. “The European immigrants who followed Christopher Columbus did not understand the native people any more than the Native Americans comprehended their invaders,” (Hall, 2011). Columbus made a comment about the Native Americans in his diary saying, “It appears to me that the people [of the New World] are ingenious and would be good servants. . . . These people are very unskilled in arms. . . . With fifty men they could all be subjected to do all that one wishes,” (Hatchet, G. (2000). This obviously grew conflict between the Native Americans and the Whites. As for Columbus Day, each year the Native Americans protest Columbus Day. The protest includes and demonstrates the history and the importance of examining and searching for the real and true facts beyond what has been printed in text books. These protest allow Native Americans to have further investigation and discussion by historians about the actual events that took place. I think we need to have a better understanding and meaning of the holiday Columbus Day and not just as “Americans” focusing on an opportunity store sale. I think that the mayor should most definitely support the Native American group. The Native Americans have suffered enough and personally everyone has their own story and life to tell but the...
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...America should discontinue the celebration of Columbus Day. This holiday should not be celebrated because of a numerous of reasons. Such as, Christopher Columbus hadn’t discover anything new, he left a barbarous legacy that has been followed over the centuries and he treated the Natives cruelly. Columbus hadn’t discover anything new because people were already there, he didn’t prove the earth is round and he was not the first Non-American to find the New World. Additionally, he had left behind a legacy that had begun genocide and slavery, and one that is the false definition of courage and manliness. Columbus had also treated the Natives cruelly by raping their woman, cutting off their noses and ears and even unleashing greyhounds onto the Natives. America should not celebrate Columbus Day due to his failure to discover anything new. The places that Columbus had...
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...America has many a strange holidays including national hammock day and national ice cream day but is Columbus day actually qualified to be a national holiday? There are people on every side of this controversy with some saying Columbus day is as important to American Culture as the bald eagle, others stating it’s derogatory to cultures and facts, and still more who stand in the middle ground. Columbus day should be changed to a more appropriate and accurate holiday. Changing the holiday is the best choice for the United States because Columbus contributed little to none to American culture or history and Columbus Day encourages false facts and history. To start off, Christopher Columbus did not contribute the U.S culture or history. One...
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...The Columbus Day Controversy Christopher Columbus has been recognized and praise as a hero since his suppose discovery of America. In which, Christopher Columbus was granted a holiday named Columbus Day after his legacy. To which, Columbus Day is a holiday celebrated on the second monday of October and is celebrated for the sole purpose that his exploration to the “New World” led to the discovery of America. Although many people today still celebrate Columbus Day it has caused great controversy throughout the nation and therefore should be exiled since it is an occasion to be mourned, he is a bad remodel to the American citizenry, and Columbus was a compulsive liar. To begin with, a issue to consider when removing Columbus Day is the fact...
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...Every year on the second Monday of October, Columbus Day is celebrated. You have a day off from school and no one thinks about why we celebrate Columbus Day. When you ask anyone why we observe Columbus Day, they will most likely tell you about the land he obtained, but they will leave out all of the horrible things he did to the Natives. Many people argue about whether or not Columbus Day should be considered a federal holiday. Based on facts, Columbus day should not be considered a federal holiday, because of the harsh ways Columbus carried out his actions. Although he obtained a vast amount of land, he didn’t take it peacefully, he tormented and tortured the Native Americans. This lead to many Natives dying. He made them do many labours...
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...Since the year of the the holidays inception in the 1930s Columbus day has been a huge topic for many people in the United States and the rest of the Americas. Many see it as the great progress of the western world while many others feel it is an awful celebration of atrocities on Native Americans that needs to stop. Even though Columbus Day is a celebration of progress in the western that led to great nations, we should not overlook the deaths of thousands of Native Americans and stop the practice of this holiday. The first reason Columbus Day should be discontinued is that we can’t overlook all the atrocities Columbus did to Native Americans just so he could bring civilization to the western world. He enslaved them and killed them over...
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...Why is it appropriate to celebrate Columbus Day? Most say is because he discovered America which is false. The Native Americans did if you are looking at human history. Columbus discovered America for Europe which brought economic success for Europe which boosted the global economy. The Columbian Exchange Brought goods between america and europe. Globalization between the americas and Europe with many colonists and supplying America with citizens. Economic success from Europe for benefiting from the new found goods of the americas. The Columbian exchange brought major trade between the americas and europe. The trade brought horses, sugarcane, and Wheat to the americas. The americas brought potatoes, tomatoes and corn to Europe. These items caused a growth in trade and a global success for America and Spain. Everyday food items such as Citruses, grapes, bananas, and coffee beans are a result of the Columbian Exchange. Columbus inspired trade between america and europe and everyday items we take for granted are in use today...
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...word "holiday" literally translates to "holy day", because mainly holidays are celebrated for religious purposes, but most American holidays are not religious. Many holiday's are just traditions from America's rich ethnic history. Some holidays are also celebrated for certain important people in American history, people like Christopher Columbus. In 1905, Colorado became the first state to observe a Columbus Day, and over the next few decades other states followed. In 1937, President Franklin Roosevelt announced every October 12 as Columbus Day. Since 1971, it has been celebrated on the second Monday in October. Columbus Day commemorates the landing of Christopher Columbus in the New World on October 12, 1492. Columbus was believed...
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...Christopher Columbus was a wicked man. Yes, he tried to share Christianity but he didn’t do it nicely. He killed the people who didn’t say to him they believed in Jesus to him when they spoke an entirely different language. It does not make sense to celebrate someone who did that towards people. Christopher Columbus Day is a day that we should get rid of. It is unfair celebrate someone who did such horrible things to others, when there are people who did so much more amazing things who don’t get the credit they deserve. Yes he killed people, plus he did many more evil things to. For example, he hid his diary so he wouldn’t be in trouble with the king and Queen for the things that he had done. Also, he didn't find America, people were here...
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...Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa Italy, to the son of a weaver. He quickly took to sea in his teens and he started to sail, but on his first trip he was attacked by French privateers off the coast of Portugal. To escape the privateers, he jumped ship and swam to shore, eventually marrying his wife there. He continued to sail around the world, and in the late 1400’s he wanted to find a better route to Asia. He first approached Genoa, then Venice and finally struck a deal with Isabella of Castille and Ferdinand of Aragaon. They funded him and he set off for America. He had three voyages there, and recorded most of it in his journal. Columbus Day is a US National holiday celebrating Christopher Columbus’ ‘discovery’ of America I don’t think that the US celebrate Columbus Day as a national holiday because of how Columbus treated the Native Americans. To prove to Isabella and Ferdinand that the journey to the New World would be profitable “He rounds up 1600 Taínos-- the same people he had earlier described as ‘so full of love and without greed’. Some 550 them -- ‘among the best males and females,’ writes colonist Michele de Cuneo -- and chained and taken to ships to be sent to...
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...Christopher Columbus and his “discovery” of America, has been drilled into elementary students’ heads. As recently as this year, my 1st grader and kindergartner were told that Columbus was the first person to find the United States, and his story was somehow tied into a lesson about Thanksgiving. The reason I bring this up is to show that the myth of Christopher Columbus is still alive and well. Unfortunately, this also proves that many people in the United States don’t understand the true history of this country, or don’t care enough to learn about it. My opinion of Columbus Day is this; just because we’ve made a mistake in the past due to ignorance, doesn’t mean that we should continue to make the same mistake once we’ve learned of our transgressions....
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...Celebration of Mass Murderer to Occur For years, Columbus Day has been recognized as a national holiday. Millions of ignorant people go out and celebrate the man who brought about the deaths of millions of Native American people. Many are too perturbed by the thought of that, after all, it was not their ancestors who died. Others would argue that is was not Columbus who killed the Indians, it was smallpox. Though Hitler did not gas, shoot, and work all those Jews himself, he was the man behind the curtain, the reason it all happened. Columbus Day is a day full of lies, deception, and fairy tales to appease the general masses and let them sleep better at night. It’s time they awoke. To begin with, a lie is a lie, no matter how small and/or how harmless it might seem. Columbus did not land in North America, as most Americans are apt to believe. In fact, throughout all of Columbus’ voyages from 1492 to 1504, he never saw or touched anything that later became U.S. soil (p. #58, 1492). Columbus landed on the island called San Salvador, incorrectly believing that he had landed in India, which is why he called the people he saw, ‘Indios’ (p. #59, 1492). Communications were limited to gestures, since neither side knew the others’ language (p. #59, 1492). What is most plausible here, is that Columbus most likely made up whatever he felt like he could, telling his men that the natives thought the men came from Heaven and that there was a king that had great containers of...
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...Nichole Oliver Professor Scott ENG-ENF 3/III April 23, 2016 We Should Abolish Columbus Day Only two federal holidays in the United States bear the name of two specific men, ironically one of them fought racism -- Martin Luther King Jr., and the other was a genocidal racist – Chistopher Columbus. Opposition to Columbus Day (observed on the second Monday of October) has intensified in recent decades, while the former passes each year with relatively little controversy. The issue of if we should still celebrate Columbus Day is widely discussed. The topic remains important because it concerns fundamental moral and economic questions related to the origin of how Christopher Columbus got his recognition. In my essay I will touch on the ongoing debate of if we should erase Columbus Day as one of our federal holidays. As our young minds are still developing and processing information of our history, which hopefully holds an importance to the American citizens of this great nation, there is a poem taught to children about our history. How does the saying go? Ah, yes! In fourteen hundred ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue… We are taught that Columbus is viewed a valiant adventurer that opened up the worlds eyes by discovering the Americas; on the contrary, he is perceived a symbol of slavery and genocide. His trip to America is often claimed as a voyage of bravery in his attempts to discover new lands and did however lead to the permanent colonization, settlement, political...
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