Over the years, the same question about our country’s creation has arised, “Should Columbus Day be abolished as a national holiday?” We now know that Christopher Columbus is not the true discoverer of our country. However, does this make it right to take away a holiday for one of the most important explorers in all of history? The United States should not abolish Christopher Columbus Day because he accomplished many great things for the time period, the day represents many people other than Christopher Columbus, and Christopher Columbus discovered America and influenced the development of the Western Hemisphere.
Christopher Columbus is a very significant person in our history. During his time period some years ago, he managed to create huge
…show more content…
Document three contradicts, “...holidays should be days that bring a sense of pride and togetherness for ALL Americans…”Columbus Day” fails that test on all accounts,” (3). However, this statement is not true. Columbus Day celebrates Italian-Americans and all people of the Western Civilization, which includes all Americans. According to The Buffalo News, Columbus is very sentimental for the Italian-Americans that live among our country. Christopher Columbus Day displays the important roles of Italian-Americans in our society, and how they suffered a lot of discrimination in the early years of immigration (The Buffalo News). Therefore, Christopher Columbus Day should not be repealed because it symbolizes the greater whole of the Italian-Americans. This holiday shows them that they had a significance in the building of our civilization as we know it today. How can we take a holiday away from a culture who deeply believes in what it symbolizes? Christopher Columbus Day not only reaches out to Italian-Americans, but this national holiday also reaches out towards all people of the Western Hemisphere. Without Christopher Columbus, progress on the standings of this half of the world would have likely not been carried out. Therefore, Christoper Columbus Day should not be abolished because the day represents many important people other than Christopher
“In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue”, is the rhyme embedded in children’s heads in the first lesson of US history. However, beyond the discovery of the New World, Christopher Columbus receives no other mentions. Especially no one acknowledges that he was the reason Native Americans were mistreated and kept as slaves. Although Christopher Columbus’ actions are not all honorable he should still be celebrated during Columbus Day as a brave explorer who risked his and his crew’s lives to find a new way of travel and land. His efforts bridged a gap between the New and Old World and helped feed Europe, which immensely impacts our society. Because of his dedication and bravery to be an explorer Christopher Columbus Day should be celebrated.
Columbus Day was not always a federal holiday. Traditionally, the holiday was observed on the 12th of October locally. Columbus Day first became a holiday in Colorado in 1906. Through lobbying by Angelo Rose, Generoso Pope, and The Knights of Columbus, Columbus Day became a federal holiday in 1937. It was signed in by Franklin Roosevelt. Since 1970, the holiday has been observed on the second Monday of October. Columbus Day had lobbying against it as well. During the early days before information was not easily available, it was said that the holiday would be used to spread Catholic influence. In later years during the Information Age, arguments such as Columbus 's character or the genocide and slavery of the Indians became widespread arguments against the celebration of the holiday. There are also many arguments as to why the holiday should be kept. Columbus 's voyages led to the colonization of the New World. His expeditions spurred the Age of Exploration, where many European countries continued to invest in exploring for shorter and faster routes to India and the Orient, and new territories to claim. His voyages also led to the Columbian
Christopher Columbus does not deserve to be honored as a hero with his own holiday. Close to 500 years, people have praised Christopher Columbus and also celebrated him as though he was the one who truly founded America. Teachers teach students that he was a great man, also how he found treasures and land known as America. Students are also taught about the names of his three ships he used on his first voyage. However, they did not teach us the truth about Christopher Columbus, and his so called “discovery”.
Although, Columbus may have done some bad things to America, he helped England, Spain, and all people to this day. When he discovered America he made it known, allowing people to travel there and begin a new life. Lots of countries honor Columbus, especially Spain. For his discovery we wouldn’t be where we are now, we might have still believed the world was flat. From the author of “Sail On!” he says “Columbus’ voyage made America known to the people of Europe. This truly changed the world. It is why Columbus is honored.”He will be honored for the good things we don’t need to ponder on the
For more than five centuries Americans have lifted Christopher Columbus to heights of greatness and god-like. We celebrate his life as though he was a man that had done us a great favor. In resent years Christopher Columbus has come under scrutiny, his life and works being questioned more than celebrated. There have be many great men and women that contributed to the building of our great nation but they do not receive anywhere as much recognition as Columbus. When a person begins to study the actual accounts of the "finding of the New World" they begin to wonder if Columbus should adored or hated for his actions. As a child I was taught that Columbus was a great man that had accomplished great things for the sake of humanity, but in reality his agenda was not to better humanity but to better himself. He found the Americas by mere chance and he did not even know of what he found. We give him credit for "finding" the Americas but history tells of the people, that he called Indians, already inhabiting the foreign land. So you decide whether or not Christopher Columbus should be revered a hero.
Other than what was taught in primary education I knew little of Christopher Columbus. I certainly did not know the truth. Educators and school board officials provided a faulty historical account of Christopher Columbus growing up. Most youth raised in America grew up with nursery rhymes and bedtime stories fictionalizing the heroic efforts and swash-buckling adventures of Columbus’ and men alike making their thievery and lack of concern for human life acceptable. All Americans including the Native and African Americans who were indirectly affected by Christopher Columbus via the slave trade and destruction of their people, observe Christopher Columbus Day. If this is so, why don’t we have a Hail Hitler Day? Hitler, though many see him as a terrible man, was simply doing what power hungry individuals have done for centuries. He simply took a page out of Christopher Columbus’ book destroying the weak and enslaving those left standing. In the case of Christopher Columbus quest for gold, he went to extreme measures to ensure he would get every last golden flake that glittered in Hai...
In recent history, Christopher Columbus has been regarded as a great explorer renowned for his numerous discoveries. For instance a holiday is celebrated; the second week of October, in honor of the day Christopher Columbus discovered America. The holiday is recognized in many states and countries with festivities planned to honor the explorer. Government business and schools are also closed in observance of the day. In addition to the holiday the explorations of Christopher Columbus have been celebrated in poems, movies and literature. This glorification of Christopher Columbus is not without debat...
[2] Columbus is a mainstay of American patriotism. He is the patron saint who planted the seeds of our nation. Our culture has been lulled into his heroic myth for hundreds of years and has celebrated this man with much pomp and circumstance. Columbus’ worthiness has been the subject of much controversy and is now being linked to such un-heroic terms as mass murder, holocaust, and genocide.
The second Monday in October is celebrated across America as Columbus Day. It is a celebration of the man who discovered America. In school, children are taught that Christopher Columbus was a national hero. In actuality, the man was a murderer. It is true that he found a land that was unknown to the "civilized" world, yet in this discovery, he erased the natives inhabiting the land. With slavery, warfare, and inhumane acts, Christopher Columbus and the men who accompanied him completely destroyed a people, a culture, and a land. These are not actions that should be heralded as heroic.
The explorer Christopher Columbus made four trips across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain: in 1492, 1493, 1498 and 1502. He was determined to find a direct water route west from Europe to Asia, but he never did. Instead, he accidentally stumbled upon the Americas. Though he did not really discover The New World millions of people already lived there his journeys marked the beginning of centuries of Atlantic conquest and colonization. However there has been some controversy whether or not Columbus is a hero or not because of some of his actions he took;” one hundred years after his landing in America, Europeans exploration, and exploitation, resulted in the deaths of 90 million indigenous peoples. His own diaries detail the horrible atrocities committed seemingly at his behest” (lecture handout). In terms of celebration I say it we should not because we are celebrating all the actions he took; The Killing of many natives, the creation of slavery, and mistreatment of his own people. Columbus is basically label as a tyrant. Instead Columbus Day should instead be celebrated as Indigenous day. A day of remembrance to all the people that suffer under Columbus
With all these reasons in mind, it is evident that Columbus day should not be celebrated. It is a holiday that many people do not celebrate and it is also one that brings back a lot of negative memories. With many other holidays such as Independence day, thanksgiving day, etc. that remind people of their heritage, Columbus day is a holiday that is not necessary to remind people of who they are. Instead of Celebrating one man, why not celebrate all the men who helped discover North
Even through all of the bad, Columbus day should still be a national holiday in America. As both a celebration of success and enlightenment, and as a reminder of the past. Many other people (including remaining Native American tribes) believe that the holiday either be changed or removed
One reason we shouldn’t celebrate Columbus Day is because he enslaved Natives to have them work. The text states,”The aim was clear: slaves and gold. They went from island to island in the Caribbean,capturing Indians,”(page 8
In Pageant Christopher Columbus is one of the first people named as relevant to our history. He is built up as a hero, with words such as "a man of vision, energy, resourcefulness, and courage" used to describe him (Pageant p.4). We are told that he knows the world is round, but that nobody will believe him. Finally he convinces Spain's monarchs to fund him, and is given "three tiny but seaworthy ships manned...
From everything that we know thus far there isn’t a big enough reason as to why we should all of the sudden stop recognizing Columbus as the founder of our nation. Therefore, he should be given recignition of his accompishments and still be known as the one who discovered America.