Should Columbus Day Be Celebrated

Do you trust your history book to tell you everything? Maybe you shouldn’t rely on only one source. Some textbooks only skim the surface of stories. One instance of this would be the true story behind what Christopher Columbus did. Recent evidence states that Columbus abused his power and he shouldn't have a day that celebrates only him.

When Christopher Columbus sailed across the Atlantic Ocean in 1492, he ended up in the islands of the Caribbean, which is not America. Furthermore, there were already humans there, so he wasn't the first to

When you think of Columbus what comes to mind? A hero? A villain? Most people think he is a hero, but many do not think of the things he did to people such as slavery, beatings, raping, etc. He is most known for discovering America, but he only got to the Bahamas. Columbus was an Italian explorer that sailed the ocean blue in 1492. Columbus Day should not be celebrated because of the awful things that don’t make up for the discoveries that Christopher Columbus did.

Columbus Day is a holiday that celebrates Christopher Columbus an Italian explorer who sailed over 500 years ago with three ships from Spain across the Atlantic Ocean in a daring attempt to expand our knowledge of the known world in hopes of discovering new lands (Obama). He is credited with discovering the New World in 1492. Though this sounds honorable and inspiring, it was basically a search to find new lands in order to claim and take control of them, plunder their wealth, enslave their occupants and murder any who tried to stop him (Zinn). Since the United States is built on the beliefs of freedom, equality, peace, and humanity, I don’t feel that we should continue to honor and celebrate

Columbus never even walked on what we now call the United States of America. Where ever he did land, he was motivated only by his own greed. Columbus came for the gold, spices, and slaves. In his diary, he mentioned gold 75 times just in the first two weeks, alone (Katz 13). Indians who weren’t able to find gold, were punished by having their hands cut off. Most slaves died en route to Spain. Many Indian females were taken as sex slaves, some as young as nine and ten years old. Columbus forced cooperation from the Indians by disfiguring them and using them as examples. Even worse, he used hunting dogs to tear the Indians apart. Many natives committed suicide, and murdered their own children to save them from such a horrible life. Those who survived the voyage were worked to death. Still, another huge portion of these Indians died from disease brought over by Columbus and his

In the United States, there are many holidays that are celebrated by its citizens. Some of these holidays consist of individuals taking the day off from work and school, such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Year’s Day. During these days off, individuals have the chance to reflect on the day itself, and rejoice on the purpose of the holiday. Every holiday has a distinct and positive meaning towards the United States and its people, but there is one holiday in particular that is controversial in this aspect- the celebration of Christopher Columbus- Columbus Day. This controversy is JJJJJJ because even though Christopher Columbus had a big role in discovering America, he also was a terrible human being who tortured many. In my opinion, I believe that the celebration of discovering America should continue to be celebrated. Although, the holiday should be shifted from honoring Columbus, to instead celebrating the discovery of the United States of America by the indigenous people who were already settled in our land.

In the year 1492 Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue to discover a new world. Today we celebrate the fact that he found the New World and proved that the world was not round. But should we really have a holiday to celebrate a sequence of false information, racism, and punishments?

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 United States should not celebrate Columbus Day because it celebrates the mistreatment of Native Americans. One quote from the article that demonstrates this is, “a holiday called Indigenous Peoples Day will instead recognize the contributions, and suffering of Native Americans, people who lived in the Americas before Columbus arrived.” This quote demonstrates that Columbus may have improved some lives, but he destroyed others. Every year on Columbus Day, Native Americans are forced to celebrate the murder and theft of their people, lands, and homes. They should not be subject to this cruelty. Another quote that shows the mistreatment of Native Americans throughout history is, “in the 1850s, California’s leaders wanted to destroy the

To start off, Indigenous People’s Day, or Columbus Day, Which do you prefer? First off, why is it called “Columbus Day”? Well, as stated earlier, it was named after Christopher Columbus, who as we believe today, “discovered” America. Many believe that it was him who founded the Americas, but really there could’ve been earlier settlers or even Native Americans who lived on those territories before Columbus made his way there. What is a pro of having this day named after Columbus? A source I found called “www.scholastic.com” stated, “ The holiday honoring Christopher Columbus's sighting of America on October 12, 1492, is observed in the states of the United States and also in parts of Canada, in Puerto Rico, and in some cities in Italy and Spain. Although Columbus was not the first explorer to set foot in the Western Hemisphere, his landing at San Salvador Island in what is now the Bahamas was very important. It opened the way for the settlement of America by Europeans.” So, basically we named this holiday after Columbus because it was assumed that he was one of the first to see and discover the Americas. Another source titled “www.osia.org” stated “Columbus Day celebrates the beginning of cultural exchange between America and Europe. After Columbus, came millions of European immigrants who brought their art, music, science, medicine, philosophy and religious principles to America.” From one’s point of view, it may look like Columbus did many great things that led to the development of America. But no one really knows what was at stake because of Columbus’ decisions. A con relating to the naming of Columbus Day is in a

The national holiday of Columbus Day should never have become a recognized Federal holiday. Christopher Columbus did not actually discover the Americas. There were millions of indigenous people already living in the location that he was exploring. It is true he was an explorer trying to find his way to the riches of the Indies and mapping his way for Spain and Europe however, how is it a discovery when people are already living on the land? He didn't even make it to the location he was originally trying to reach. He was also a brutal man that enslaved the people living on the land he "discovered".

“In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue”, these words are taught all around the states and are meant to help teach and remember the year that the now notorious Christopher Columbus went on his renowned exploration. Columbus was an Italian that was sent by the Queen and King of Spain to find riches in other lands, and during this voyage he stumbled onto the Americas. During his time in the Americas he enslaved the Native Americans, forced Christianity onto them and brought over diseases that would result in the eventual deaths of Native American. For a long period of time though, Columbus was known as the “man who discovered America”, nothing more. Now he is thought of as a murderer and a thief for stealing the land and lives of many Native Americans.

Every year on October 12th Americans across the country celebrate Columbus day. A day honoring the famous (or infamous) explorer Christopher Columbus , famous for supposedly discovering America (The Bahamas today). Until recently most people have celebrated the day without a second thought, but now there is more evidence that Christopher Columbus wasn’t just a peaceful explorer.

     In addition to opening up a New World to Europe and inspiring a spirit of adventure, Columbus’s experience also showed the importance of diversity. Columbus was an Italian, but he learned to sail from the Portuguese, and his trip was funded by the Spanish. He needed the help of several different countries to accomplish what we now know him for today. Conversely, Columbus’s confrontation with the Natives shows how cultures conflict when they do not understand each other. Columbus and his troops massacred thousands of

Columbus Day is a holiday widely celebrated throughout the Americas. It is a holiday commemorating the voyage, Christopher Columbus made for when he landed in the Bahamas on October 12, 1492. “Christopher Columbus was an Italian-born explorer who set sail in August 1492, bound for Asia with backing from the Spanish monarchs King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella.” His voyage was so successful that when he returned to Spain, he came with goods that the Europeans had never seen. The discovery of new merchandise brought about the Age of Exploration and in 1937, October 12th was officially named Columbus Day and nationally celebrated in the United States by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.