Let's stop celebrating Columbus Day

Michael A. Moodian Posted: 10/05/2010 09:03:32 PM PDT

On Monday, millions of Americans will honor the 15th-century voyage of Christopher Columbus. While many of us will never forget the famous rhyme that we learned in elementary school - In fourteen hundred ninety-two Columbus sailed the ocean blue - we often fail to ask ourselves if Christopher Columbus really led a life of accomplishments that makes him worthy of a U.S. federal holiday in his name. As historians continue to examine the life of Columbus, controversy arises. Of all federal holidays, Columbus Day is in fact one of only three that are named after human beings. Taking a closer look at the life and times of Columbus, it is apparent that his legacy is defined more by myth than substance and we should seriously reconsider the celebration of a holiday in his honor. Exploring Columbus' legacy, one would discover that the arrival of the Ni a, Pinta and Santa Maria marked the start of the destruction of millions of indigenous peoples. Many results of his voyage were unglamorous, such as the commencement of slave-trading with captured slaves from the Caribbean, the Columbian exchange of diseases and forced religious assimilation. European settlers in the new land engaged in oppression and cruelty against indigenous peoples resulting in massive death - all of which marked one of the greatest tragedies in the history of human civilization. What exactly did Christopher Columbus discover? Claiming that he was the first to find the new land is a Eurocentric ideal that goes against the grain of a contemporary America, one that strives to embrace an environment of multiculturalism. The pre-Columbian indigenous population of the Americas could have exceeded 50million people - these were people who were already here. Leif Eriksson and Viking explorers stepped foot on North American soil hundreds of years earlier. There is evidence that numerous other explorers could have arrived in the New World years before Columbus. There is little doubt that Columbus' voyage had tremendous historical significance that forever altered the inhabitation of the Western World, but dedicating one of our precious federal holidays to him romanticizes his contributions and ignores a dark part of the history of the Americas that we should never forget. Doing so is insincere and a dishonor to the indigenous peoples of our land. The United States is a country of progression. We persevere as we show respect for diversity, inclusion and tolerance. We realize that we have made mistakes in the past with regard to racial and gender inequality, but we have become a stronger nation by recognizing and learning from parts of our history that we are not proud of. Looking at the civil rights movements of the last 50 years, it goes without saying that the United States has taken great strides in a very short amount of time. A major step in the right direction would be to end the celebration of Columbus Day. Instead, perhaps we can focus on a new holiday that works to establish solidarity with the indigenous peoples, or perhaps we can even honor Thomas Jefferson for his promotion of liberty and inalienable rights. There were many who fought tirelessly for women's suffrage and gender equality who should also be honored. We will never learn from our history if we choose to glorify individuals such as Columbus who were neither noble nor representative of American values.

Moises Pea Philosophy 105 October 19, 2010

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[MP] The US should stop celebrating Columbus Day. [s] [s] [ec] [ec] [s] [ec] [ec] [SP] Columbus Day is honors a man whose legacy is based more on myth than substance. [SP] Many results of Columbus voyage were unglamorous. [SP] Columbus was part of the commencement of the Caribbean slave trade. [SP] Columbus voyage brought diseases and forced assimilations. [SP] On the contrary to popular belief, Columbus did not discover America. [SP] Millions of indigenous people already inhabited the land. [SP] There are records of previous explorers who set foot on America before Columbus.

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[SP] There are other people who should be honored instead of Columbus. [SP] Thomas Jefferson and the many that fought for womens suffrage should be honored.