Blog #139 – Goodbye, Columbus?
Please read the article, “Goodbye, Columbus?” before continuing.
Christopher Columbus is credited with having discovered the New World in 1492, but not necessarily America (even though a lookout on his ship, Rodrigo, claimed that he saw land first). How people interpret this fact is the subject of intense historical and cultural debate across the world. The day honoring the discovery, October 12, is a national holiday, but for some historians and cultures, this day is marked as one when Spanish imperialism and genocide of the Native Americans began. Celebrating Columbus is almost as old as America itself when we saw the first celebration on the 300th anniversary of Columbus in 1792. In 1937, President Franklin Roosevelt proclaimed it to be a national holiday, much to the approval of many Italian Americans.
Those who want to discredit Columbus Day usually start with the wave of violence, slavery and genocide of the Native Americans that began after his “discovery.” On the island of Hispanola (Haiti / Dominican Republic), the sailors left there after his first voyage were tasked with finding gold and silver and soon tried to put to work the natives of the island. In subsequent voyages, he searched Central and South America for gold, and the communicable diseases like smallpox and measles that the Europeans had would also wipe out – intentionally or not – the Native populations. Conquistadors Hernan Cortes and Francisco Pizarro exploited divisions among the ruling tribes, Aztecs and Incas respectively, to conquer vast empires. It’s estimated that something like 80% of the 45-100 million Native Americans (historians disagree – some claimed that there were only 8.5 million Natives in all of the Americas when Columbus arrived) who lived in the New World were wiped out by disease, war, and famine brought on by discovery. Critics have claimed that the holiday should be renamed “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” to honor all the Native Americans past and present.
Here’s John Oliver’s take on Columbus Day:
But was this all Columbus’ fault? His defenders say, of course not. Diseases act in random ways and are influenced by many things including stress, food (or lack thereof), poverty and other cultural or economic factors. Discovery could have brought some of these conditions on, but they weren’t necessarily the primary cause. One historian stated in his piece that there were already different diseases running rampant throughout the Native population before Columbus’ arrival. Columbus is also given credit for having been a visionary, having convinced the Spanish monarchs to provide him with three ships to sail the Atlantic in search of a newer, quicker route to Asia around the earth. In fact, Columbus failed in his attempt to find that quicker trade route to Asia. It would be Magellan who would eventually circumnavigate the globe. And, Columbus is being blamed for what came in his wake – the Spanish conquistadors, the destruction and enslavement of Native peoples, and even the African slave trade since that was linked with the opening up of the New World. Could this attack on Columbus also be a remnant of the Black Legend that grew to fantastical proportions as exaggerated by English Protestants as a way of discrediting the Spanish Catholics? Too much, much too much indeed, to put on one man’s shoulders. Also, according to your article, some towns have resisted or affirmed their dedication to Columbus Day. Those towns tend to have large Italian populations.
People have been considering removing Columbus Day and replacing it w/ a day honoring Native Americans. Over 50 cities like Los Angeles and San Jose have removed Columbus statues, and Los Angeles has gone as far as to celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day starting in 2018. The first city to do this was Berkeley, California in 1992. As of 2019, several states (including Alaska, Minnesota, South Dakota, Michigan, and others) have replaced Columbus Day w/ something else, primarily a holiday honoring Native Americans.
Another way of looking at this is that when we celebrate Columbus Day, we celebrate America. Should we acknowledge both the good and the bad that come with America / Columbus? Or is it more patriotic to revel in America in a “Team America” way with unquestioning loyalty? Or, as the video below discusses, Columbus is a myth that we have embraced. Is this something that we should jettison?
So, do we keep Columbus Day as is (meaning that it’s an official government / bank holiday)? Or do we acknowledge Columbus Day with a solemn reminder of what happened to the Native Americans afterwards? Or do we pitch Columbus Day in favor of celebrating “Indigenous People’s Day”? Why? Or is there another option? If so, explain. Please use specific examples from the “Goodbye, Columbus?” article.
200 words minimum for your response.
Some additional resources:
History Channel – Why Columbus Day is Controversial
Smithsonian Magazine – Rethinking How We Celebrate American History
Personally, I think that we should replace Columbus Day with Indigenous People’s day but still acknowledge Columbus at the same time. We should do that because did help in the discovery of the new world and he paved the way for sustained contact between Europe and the America’s but he also did bad things and set the motion for the decimation of Native populations. He also was evolved in enslavement and deaths of the Natives. This is why I believe that we should change the name of the holiday, yet still think of what he did.
I believe Columbus Day should be kept as an acknowledgement not as an official government and make Indigenous People Day a celebration/festival. It doesn’t make sense that America is celebrating Columbus Day, given the fact that Columbus never set one foot on the land we now call the United States. Trying to remove Columbus Day may be a challenge as there are people who celebrate it, such as Americans of Italian descent and Columbus Day has been celebrated since 1937 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared it a national holiday. Indigenous People Day should be made into a celebration amongst the indigenous population to commemorate the indigenous people who have been enslaved and died by massacre and disease brought by Europeans. I think Columbus Day should be a subject to teach all of the good and bad contributions Christopher Columbus has made.
I agree with the article saying that all of the history that happened after Columbus’ discovery, including enslavement of the Native Americans and the African slave trade, is too much to put on one man’s shoulders. While he was involved in the killing and enslavement of the Natives, there’s far too many other people to blame for what happened. Like so, I don’t think we should give all the credit of discovering America/the New World to just one man. Instead we should acknowledge the people who were already living on this land at that time. We must acknowledge the hits Native Americans took as a whole culture. It is wrong to say that it was only disease that caused the Native population to drop when it was also because of murder, torture and rape that led to suicide, and enslavement. I don’t think we should make the second Monday of October a celebration of Columbus’ “achievement” or a day to celebrate America. We should leave this day for the observance of the rich culture of Natives that was, in essence, wiped out, while also recognizing that the discovery of the New World, whoever it was, has brought us here today.
I believe that we should ditch Columbus day and replace it with “Indigenous People’s Day.” A man who has committed such violent acts towards people living in those areas first is outright disgusting. The author describes Columbus as a crude and horrible man, who had essentially taken over land that was not his, claimed it to be Spanish, and killed millions of native people with diseases they (the crew) brought from Europe. What does this say about America that we celebrate a man who stole land, killed, and enslaved for his entertainment? Whether the introduction of the diseases in the Caribbean was intentional or not, it still caused the deaths of countless people: “In subsequent voyages, he searched Central and South America for gold, and the communicable diseases like smallpox and measles that the Europeans had would also wipe out – intentionally or not – the Native populations.” Moreover, Columbus himself was not a sound, righteous man. In the video on the blog post, the narrator explains, “where he kidnapped Native Americans and sold them into slavery.” Columbus is no better than the colonist when they kidnapped people of color. He is not a good person, and we should not celebrate him.
I don´t think we keep Columbus day should still happen. History says he killed many Native Americans who lived on the island. He also enslaved many of its people as well and sold them off. In my opinion, we should pitch Columbus Day and make it Indigedicous People Day. In the article Goodbye Columbus? ¨On Columbus Day in 2018, a sculpture in Marconi Parl in Philadelphia was defaced with graffiti that read ´genocide´ and ´stolen land´¨(De Stefani 1). This says that for most people today Columbus Day should be changed to Indigenous Peoples Day. I agree it should be changed. I don´t think we keep Columbus day should still happen. History says he killed many Native Americans who lived on the island. He also enslaved many of its people as well. In my opinion, we should pitch Columbus Day and make it Indigedicous People Day. In the article Goodbye Columbus? ¨On Columbus Day in 2018, a sculpture in Marconi Parl in Philadelphia was defaced with graffiti that read ´genocide´ and ´stolen land´¨(De Stefani 1). This says that for most people today Columbus Day should be changed to Indigenous Peoples Day. I agree it should be changed. Many things Columbus did should not be celebrated.
I think that we should keep Columbus Day to remember his journey and finding the Americas but we should also add an additional holiday on a different day for the Indigenous people. They both deserve to be recognized in some way whether it’s a whole day about them, or just recognizing what they did and commemorating them. Just like Nevada, I believe that we should meet in the middle ground and have two separate days to celebrate the occasions. They both deserve to be celebrated and they should both be celebrated in different ways. Some people might want to honor these holidays with a party or festival and some might want to celebrate by learning about the past events and commemorating the people who were part of it.
We should acknowledge Columbus Day with a solemn reminder of what happened to the Native Americans afterward, not as an Offical holiday name “ Columbus Day” it should be “Indigenous People’s Day”. We should not celebrate Christopher Columbus, who has brutally slaughtered and done some other vicious things to many Native Americans. According to the article, Columbus showed violence towards the Natives, enslaved them in their own homes/kidnapped and sold them into slavery, and deliberately killed a large number of Natives. Not only that but you can not discover a continent with millions of people already living there, that Viking had visited years earlier. Indigenous people should use this holiday to celebrate the loss of their people to Christopher Columbus, and all the diseases he and his people have brought with them to this “New World” that killed “80% of the 45-100 million” Native Americans. Columbus also harmed indigenous people culture. By forcing Natives into a new lifestyle that was seen as “normal” to Columbus. When Columbus saw Indigenous peoples lifestyle as “savage”. This day should serve as a day to explore the lavish, high-spirited culture of Indigenous people, not a man who has only Brought harm and misery to benefit his people.
I think that we need to drop Columbus Day and replace it with a different holiday that honors both the celebration of indigenous people and what they had to endure. Columbus caused many problems for many different people, “ In fact, Columbus failed in his attempt to find that quicker trade route to Asia. It would be Magellan who would eventually circumnavigate the globe. And, Columbus is being blamed for what came in his wake – the Spanish conquistadors, the destruction and enslavement of Native peoples, and even the African slave trade since that was linked with the opening up of the New World.” we need to honor indigenous people because they have gone through trauma as a result of Columbus and his actions.
I believe there is another option instead of Columbus Day and Indigenous People’s Day. Christopher Columbus is a colonizer who in the article Goodbye, Columbus? was explained as a “ruthless conqueror” and began the decimation of Native Americans. Knowing what he did to an entire people, and after John Oliver explained Columbus “discovering” a land that people already lived on, why choose to celebrate someone who took and claimed land that wasn’t his, murdering entire populations of people in the process? Instead of celebrating Indigenous People’s Day, Indigenous people should instead be taught and spoken about in more schools and educational resources rather than have their whole history dedicated to just a day. The article stated that there were MILLIONS of deaths of indigenous people by slaughter and disease perpetrated by Europeans. This is important to note because the indigenous lives that were lost at the hands of Europeans seemed to be overlooked when celebrating Columbus. American-Indians had completely different lifestyles before the Europeans arrived and even after. There is a lot that Native Americans/ Indigenous people have done to contribute to building the early American colonies and helping European settlers survive. Columbus didn’t settle in America and yet many American states celebrate his “arrival”. Indigenous people were mass murdered by Columbus and there is barely anything said/taught to remember them and what they’ve contributed. Instead of dedicating a day to Indigenous people once a year (similar to Black History Month actually…), their stories need to be incorporated into textbooks when talking about anything that has to do with early America. Their stories are just as important as American stories and need to be included and remembered in many more ways than a day off of school or work with the title “Indigenous People’s Day”.
Indigenous People’s Day should replace Columbus Day as a national holiday.
Columbus Day was originally established as a federal government holiday in 1937 by U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. It was implemented to celebrate Columbus’ achievements in world history and to offer a nod to Italian-Americans.
In all 84 years Columbus Day has been celebrated, very little schools have equipped students with the knowledge of the horrors Columbus brought upon Bahaman and American Natives, most opting to go the softer route of “Christopher Columbus discovered America”. The first people to travel to the US were Vikings. Equipped with this knowledge, it seems even more outdated to continue to celebrate a man–or men–who ruthlessly colonized and tortured the natives of a land for an empire across the sea. Mind you, Columbus never even landed in the US–he settled in the Bahamas. Columbus Day has not even been around for a century, so it might not be considered a retractment so unthinkable by the American public. Columbus’ achievements are no doubt an important footnote in history, but not one so special to our nation that we should celebrate it annually.
Before the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century, American history was purely Native American. Alas, textbooks like The American Tradition still do not so much as allude to the fact that Indigenous people fought in their own war, the French and Indian War. They omitted the fact that the swift defeat of Braddock would have never occurred without the hundreds of Native American soldiers that had allied with the French. Thousands more instances of Native American history has been omitted from what is deemed traditional American history, so much as some of us don’t know basic respect from cultural appropriation. Establishing Indigenous’ People’s Day as a federal holiday would give classrooms across the nation an opportunity to assess and celebrate Indigenous culture in a respectful learning environment. Children could learn something closer to the true history of America earlier in life. Yes, they most likely will feel horrible learning about atrocities, but feeling is empathizing and history is learning from past mistakes. Indigenous People’s Day seems more relevant to our country and its history. It is more of a learning experience to talk of the original natives of a place rather than the man who eventually led to their demise.
Each individual state does curate its own special laws and retributions. However, if FDR considered Columbus important enough to be gifted with a national federal holiday, Indigenous People’s Day should mirror the same right and more.
I believe that we should change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Columbus Day is celebrating a man that never set foot in America and caused so much pain and death for indigenous people. In the “Goodbye, Columbus?” article, it talks about how Columbus indirectly brought diseases, slave trade, and deaths to millions of indigenous people. We shouldn’t be honoring someone that set slave trade into motion as well as the deaths of people already living in America. This brings up another point about how the Indians were the first people to exist in America. They had been living there for thousands of years before Columbus’ travels. If anything, we should be honoring the Indians, who settled in America first. In the article he also takes a quote from a republican who believes that, “Columbus’ enormous contributions, good and bad, need to be remembered”. While I believe that we should remember Columbus’ contributions like trade and his voyage, we should be honoring the people who developed this country first and faced the consequences of Columbus’ influence. The point of national holidays are to remember the past. Although we shouldn’t forget about Columbus, we should make sure he is known for what he really contributed. He shouldn’t take the credit from Indigenous people who settled in America long before Columbus arrived.
I think that we should replace Columbus Day with Indigenous People’s Day. However, Columbus needs to be remembered at the same time. This is because he was the first European to discover The New World and he made a way for there to be contact between Europe and the America’s, but he also did many bad things and could be held responsible for countless deaths in the Americas. He also was involved in enslavement of the Native Americans. In the text, it says how Columbus’ arrival led to the Spanish conquistadors also coming to the Americas, and they proceeded to destroy and enslave civilizations. Columbus made several big mistakes and should be remembered for his mistakes too. However, if Columbus had never sailed to America, the world would not be the same as it is today. The holiday should mostly focus on Native Americans and Indigenous people along with the major flaws that Columbus had, but also acknowledge that his discovery had some positive change in history. This is why I think that the name of the holiday should be changed to celebrate Native Americans and Indigenous people, but still think of what Christopher Columbus did, both negatively and positively.
I believe that we should still acknowledge Columbus Day as a national holiday, we should still celebrate it for the discovery of our country but also as the truth behind what really happened. I feel like we should recognize the horrors that occurred while not totally taking away from something that we have been celebrating for a long time. Columbus may have done some incredibly awful things to millions of innocent indigenous people, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that we wouldn’t be in this country without him. “Should we acknowledge both the good and the bad that come with America / Columbus?”(Stefani). I believe we should still celebrate Columbus Day as a holiday but appreciate the good and bad that came of it. So make the day less of a celebration and more of a day of remembrance.
In my opinion, there should be a middle ground to incorporate both the horrible and the good. My thoughts on the “Goodbye, Columbus?” article were that Columbus’s “discovery” started contact between the Europeans and North America that would eventually pave the way for colonization, and the American revolution. However, Christopher Columbus was a ruthless person whose “discovery” captured and killed Native Americans, enslaved people, and stole land. While I was reading I started to think that an Indigenous People’s day is so incredibly important and needs to be more universally recognized to honor the history of the native Americans. However, even though Columbus did not discover America he is responsible for its discovery for Europe. Before Columbus and his crew made the trip across the ocean, the Europeans did not know that America existed or of an indigenous population. I believe that his travels helped develop trade routes and were the beginnings of the creation of the Republic. Even knowing this, it would be better to have a holiday that focuses on both the history of the Native American people and their their cultures as well as the honest portrayal of the cruelty that followed the European arrival on their land.
We should be acknowledging “Columbus Day” as “Indigenous Peoples Day” from now on. We should do this out of respect for those who rightfully lived in America before European Settlers came and wiped them out. It’s wrong to celebrate Christopher Columbus who killed many people. A great number of people also agree with this. According to the article Goodbye, Columbus? Lucia De Stefani writes “The statue of Christopher Columbus had stood in its pedestal in Downtown Los Angeles for 45 years. Then, on October 12, 2018, it was fenced off and wrapped in plastic during the inaugural celebration of Indigenous Peoples Day.” This clearly illustrates how negatively the public feels about the representation of Christopher Columbus. In history books, he’s portrayed almost as if he was a hero and he did amazing things. The article also notes that “But others point to a far more complicated legacy that includes the enslavement or deaths of millions of indigenous people by slaughter or diseases…” Colonization of America was a good thing for the people who gained, being Europeans. It was not a good thing for the people who were living here before the settlers got here. Europeans spent years and years wiping ut the indigenous population through a series of methods, erasing their culture and turning it into their own. All in all, Christopher Columbus isn’t a person to celebrate and nominate a whole day in honor of him because, while he gained, the Indigenous people lost. They lost culture, memories, and lives. Is that something to be celebrated?
I believe that although acknowledging Columbus Day and celebrating it for the discovery of our country was important, we should replace it with Indigenous People’s Day. Several reasons come up in the debate of why it should be taken down, one of them being that Columbus never even set foot on the land we call the Americas. It’s important that we as citizens realize that Columbus wasn’t all perfect, rather, he committed many horrible acts of enslavement and eventually death against millions of Indigenous people. Rather than shining Christopher Columbus in bright heroic lights, take the filters off and show what happened behind the scenes. These crimes committed is not something to be praised and taught to people. I suggest we teach about Indigenous people and praise them for their hard work, contributions, and unique culture.
I do not think Columbus Day should be kept as an official government holiday, but should be acknowledged as a reminder of the horrible things his discovery brought on Native Americans. We should not fully abolish the holiday, because then the history will become lost and forgotten. John fuller states that “Columbus’s enormous contributions, good or bad, need to be remembered”. Along with this, I think an Indigenous People’s day should be added as a National Holiday. The author describes that states such as Nevada have added the holiday on a separate day, August 9th. It only seems fair that the bad actions of Columbus are not forgotten because they play a part in American history, but I think that Native Americans deserve a day to be celebrated as well.
I believe that Columbus Day should be replaced with Indigenous Peoples Day. There is much to admire about Christopher Columbus. For example, he was a curious explorer who successfully convinced Spain’s King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to fund his voyages by giving him 3 ships by the name of the Nina(best name ever), Pinta, and Santa Maria. Despite his adventurous and politically savvy qualities, he was a colonizer and contributed to the oppression and genocide of Native Americans. For example, the article states that “80% of the Native population was wiped out due to disease, war, and famine” brought on by Christopher Columbus’s discovery of the “new world”. This shows that history is not always black and white. Too often we are only shown the positive side of Christopher Columbus’s story, as children we are taught that he was a brave explorer who discovered the “new world”, but the truth is more complicated and villainous. This is why we should remove Columbus day and instead replace it with indigenous peoples day to acknowledge the horrors of colonization. This day can also be a celebration of America’s first people, Native Americans. It could be an opportunity to celebrate their centuries-old contributions to society.
I think Indigenous Peoples day should replace Columbus day. It’s a well-known fact that Christopher Columbus was not a good guy, but I don’t think people recognize the true atrocities he caused. Enslavement of Natives, kidnapping, and murder were only some of the crimes he committed.
Throughout American history, Native Americans have never been rightfully treated. Even to this day, their water is contaminated, their schools are underfunded, their crime rates are disproportionately high. Indigenous people’s day would help spread awareness of the issues that Natives are constantly facing and inspire change.
However, Indignous peoples day should not be created to get rid of Columbus Day. The day should be treated as its own holiday instead of a replacement for a bad one. Indigenous people’s day should focus on celebrating the culture of Native Americans and acknowledging their struggles in America.
I think we should replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day. While Christopher Columbus’s discoveries changed the world, they also sparked the enslavement and deaths of MILLIONS of Indigenous people. While it is important to acknowledge the travels of Christopher Columbus, it is also extremely important to shed light on all the negative effects that those travels had on the Native American population. Although there is a part of me that agrees with the article above in stating, “Too much, much too much indeed, to put on one man’s shoulders.” there is a larger part of me seeing the statue’s of Columbus getting vandalized and removed, and the holidays being changed that makes me believe that this man does not deserve a holiday at all. In the article “Goodbye, Columbus?” it states that more than 50 cites and countless other states have replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day, the first city to do this being Berkeley, California in 1992. Over the years many states have followed in suit, I hope that soon the rest of America will realize that they are celebrating a man that does not deserve to be celebrated and missing out on celebrating an amazing culture filled with amazing people.
Indigenous People’s Day should replace Colombus day as a national holiday.
I think we should continue to acknowledge Colombus but not praise him for what he did. He did help in the discovery of the new world and paved a way for contact between Europe and the America’s but he also did bad things. He was involved in the enslavement, violence, and genocide of the Native Americans. The Natice American’s were wiped ou by disease, war, and famine that was brought by Colombus’ “discovery”. This is why I believe that the name of the holiday deserved to be changed to honor those who died, but we should never forget the things Colombus did.
We should replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day and acknowledge Christopher Columbus and his negative impact on America. In much of the United States, people recognize Christopher Columbus as the one who founded America, even though he only found something new for the Europeans and Asians, not North Americans who are living in America or in surrounding countries. Columbus and his crew had spread diseases to Native Americans, kidnapped and enslaved many, and started the disrespect to Native Americans that is still prevalent today. I believe it would be a whole different case if he had found something new for the whole world, but millions of people already knew of America. Instead, we should celebrate the natives in America who from that point on, had their land, culture, and lives taken from them. We should celebrate their culture and educate those who don’t know enough about Native Americans. As mentioned in the article and the John Oliver video, many states have stopped celebrating Columbus Day and some have started dedicating that day towards recognizing Native Americans. This is a great start but needs to be done nationally so less misinformation surrounding the “founding” of America is spread and more appreciation for Native Americans is produced.
In my opinion we should keep Columbus day as a bit of a smaller celebration and we should also have a day to celebrate indigenous people. The main reason I think we should still celebrate Columbus is that even though he’d discovered Caribbean islands and not America, he inspired people to travel farther west and in result discover America. I don’t approve of Columbus’ methods because he did not respect indigenous people but instead enslaved and slaughtered them. Also Columbus helped bring the transatlantic slave trade that fueled the economy of the colonies, so celebrating him may also mean you celebrate his enslavement and killing of Native Americans. Celebrating Columbus day is also showing a disregard for Native Americans because of how he treated their ancestors. We should celebrate indigenous people because when people first arrived in America, Native Americans helped them out a lot, but they’ve never really been celebrated for it. The descendants of indigenous people should also be able to celebrate and learn about their ancestors who were enslaved, slaughtered or killed by disease. We should celebrate Columbus for exploring, not for how he treated people and we should also celebrate indigenous people and everything they’ve done.
I think that we should keep Columbus Day, but also have an Indigenous People’s Day. Columbus Day doesn’t have to be all celebrating Columbus, it can also be used as a day to teach people about the atrocities he committed. “Goodbye, Colombus?,” says that “Oklahoma merged Columbus Day with Native American Day..” I think that is a terrible thing to do because it takes away from the Native Americans. Merging the days makes people think that there is only an Indigenous people’s day because of what Columbus did to them. Instead, there should be a day celebrating Native Americans and their accomplishments. As said in the article Nevada is celebrating indigenous people on a separate day. This prevents Indigenous People’s Day from getting mixed up with Colombus Day. It also still keeps Colombus Day to commemorate what he did to the Native Americans and to show how he shaped the modern world. This is why I think that we should have Colombus Day in order to teach what bad and good things he did. In addition, we should celebrate Indigenous People’s Day on a different day to highlight their accomplishments without Colombus Day always in the back of people’s minds.
I propose something in the middle- a holiday that focuses on America (or THE Americas) and it’s colonization by Europeans. It’s important we acknowledge just how egregious the squandering of indigenous land, people, and culture was throughout the settlement of the americas. As the article above states, mass amounts of native people died from disease, probably as a result of coming into contact with the European colonists. I’m inclined to sympathize with the indigenous side because I think it’s terrible that they were robbed of the right to continue living on the land that had been occupied by their ancestors for thousands of years. However, I can also see where the other side is coming from. I do agree with the perspective touched on in the article that all of that pain and suffering is too big to put on Columbus” shoulders alone.
That’s why we should take this day to talk about European colonization of the Americas as it was. We should celebrate the beauty of indigenous American culture, and also talk about how Columbus “discovering” the Americas has ultimately impacted it. When we talk to kids about the history of the Americas, we should just tell them everything there is to know. No sugarcoating, no pointing fingers (at least not too aggressively), no bias of any kind. This is how it was, how it is, and how it (hopefully) will be.
Thanks for reading, this is way longer than I thought it’d be 🙂
I personally think that we should get rid of Columba’s day as a national holiday and replace it with indigenous peoples day to celebrate the rich culture that was desecrated by the Europeans. But I don’t think we should be tought that he is the reason for death and enslavement of millions. He wasn’t the one who killed and enslaved all those people he just found land and told his country about it. He was not a good person by any standard but today we make him out to be responsible for all of the death of Native Americans when it was not all his fault. In summary I do think we should get rid of Columbus day and replace it with indigenous peoples day but I don’t think we should be making him out to be such a horrible monster who killed and enslaved millions.
I think the United States should keep Columbus day, but create a separate holiday to honor and acknowledge the destruction of the native cultures and peoples of the Americas.
I think this is the best option as to not alienate any groups within the US. The Article “Goodbye Columbus”, states that while many Native Americans view Columbus day as a celebration of their culture’s destruction, Italian Americans view it as a celebration of their heritage.
Creating a separate holiday can allow both narratives of the “discovery” of America to coexist without one group feeling as if their point of view doesn’t matter.
I believe that we should celebrate Indigenous People’s Day as an official holiday, but also recognize Columbus for all the good things he did. We should remember Columbus to remember his findings of the Americas and his journey over in 1492. Throughout the article it mentioned multiple cities taking down/removing their Columbus statues. Although I do not agree with all of the things Columbus did, I think it’s wrong for them to be taking down statues commemorating him for the good that he did. People shouldn’t see him as a reason of death, they shouldn’t blame him for all the bad things. As said in the “Goodbye, Columbus” article, “‘It’s not appropriate to destroy the commemoration of an ethnic people such as Italian Americans who have done so much for this country’” I agree with this statement, we shouldn’t destroy the history of this country. We should acknowledge all the good and the bad that come with America. We shouldn’t be taking down statues of Columbus, and shaming him. The holiday should be celebrated as Indigenous people’s day to commemorate and honor all the Native Americans throughout history but also celebrate all the “enormous contributions, good and bad,” that Columbus made.
I think we should keep Columbus day, but also make an Indigenous People’s day holiday as well.
We shouldn’t get rid of Columbus day because even though he wasn’t the best person, he still did discover the New World, and we wouldn’t be here without someone discovering the Americas. I think it’s important to keep Columbus Day as a holiday because although Columbus was the one who discovered the new world, as the article states, disease acts in random ways, and is influenced by many things. Columbus was the one to discover the Americas, but all of the murder and death of the natives wasn’t necessarily his fault. I do believe that Indigenous People’s day should be a national holiday as well. It is very important for us to recognize the atrocities that were committed, and as the article states, we should recognize and appreciate Native American’s and their culture past, and present. The natives were victims of genocide, slavery, and violence, so I think that it is very important that we recognize this, and have Indigenous People’s day as its own holiday, without replacing Columbus day, which we should keep to recognize Italian American heritage and teach about how Columbus wasn’t a good person, but we wouldn’t be here without him.
I think we should keep Columbus day as a holiday,because it is still important to acknowledge the things he did and its still apart of our history as Country. And we should have Indigenous peoples’ day be celebrated nationwide instead of just in a few states. We need to keep Columbus day as a reminder of what was and what we shall not repeat. It is always important to remember history even though it isn’t all good, because there is never any good without bad. Indigenous Peoples’ day should undoubtedly be more acknowledged than Columbus Day but not the only holiday celebrated in remembrance of the events that took place.
I think instead of labeling the day as Colombus day and celebrating it, we should instead celebrate Indigenous People’s day. Colombus killed indigenous people and instead of disregarding it, we should celebrate them and honor the millions of slaughtered natives. we should also teach kids about this, instead of painting Colombus out to be a good person, when he wasn’t. history textbooks should tell more stories and actual facts on what really happened, instead of covering it up and lying to their readers.
I think that we should keep Columbus Day and also add an Indigenous People’s Day to the same day as well.
I think that we need to acknowledge Christopher Columbus, even if he did some horrible things. For example, we don’t stop talking about a past president even if he did bad things. We acknowledge those things alongside some good things they did. I think that he wasn’t a good person but it could have easily been someone else at the time who did the same thing. I agree with the statement from John Fuller, who says, “Columbus was one of the most influential
people in modern history. Columbus’s enormous contributions, good or bad, need to be remembered.” We should not try to erase Columbus from the history books because he still was a very influential person during that time. We should also try not to lay all the blame of the death, disease, and slavery on him as well because there were other explorers who contributed to that. To conclude, I think that we should put Indigenous People’s Day on the same day as Columbus Day and honor both.
We should scrap Columbus day as a national holiday, but continue to use it as a day to teach about Christopher Columbus and his impact on modern life in schools. His impact on the world as a whole was huge, but that does not mean it was all good. The blind praise of Columbus in elementary schools specifically sets kids up for believing he was a good person, who “discovered” America, which is just false. His impact is seen more through the treatment of Native Americans in our modern world. We should be using this day to teach people about his impact on Native American culture and the culture as a whole, which has suffered huge losses over time. In the article Goodbye, Columbus?, the author talks about his complicated impact on history, specifically the effect he had on travel and trade between hemispheres, which is a very positive and important part of history. The author also explains that he jump started the enslavement and mass murder of Indigenous people in North America during that time period. In conclusion, our country as a whole should acknowledge both his good and bad impacts on history through using Columbus day as a vessel for learning rather than celebration of Columbus himself.
I believe Columbus Day should be kept as a historical reminder but not as a government holiday. I also believe Indigenous People’s day should be turned into a celebration in all 50 states. Columbus’s “discovery” created a wave of violence, slavery, and more for Native Americans as the author describes. In “Goodbye, Columbus?” the article specifically talks about how Columbus’s voyages to Central and South America spread smallpox and other European diseases that wiped out Native populations. The author also writes that 80% of all Natives in the New World were wiped out by disease, war, and famine that Columbus’s discovery brought. Columbus was an awful person who doesn’t deserve to be celebrated for all the pain he caused but, October 13th should be kept as a reminder of history and how it affects modern life. Instead of celebrating Columbus day we should celebrate Indigenous People’s Day. Indigenous people were the main victims of the effects of the New World discovery. Their land was stolen and their people were killed and sold into slavery working for the Europeans. In the process of colonization the Natives’ culture was also taken from them so it is important to have a day to celebrate and honor them. Several states have already replaced Columbus day with a holiday that celebrates Indigenous people and I think other states should follow their lead.
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Another reason the holiday shouldn’t be completely removed despite Columbus’ actions towards the natives and the violence that followed, is that Columbus did do some good. Columbus was certainly flawed, but as the article states, the United States wouldn’t exist and the trade and exchange of ideas between the Eastern and Western hemispheres would never had occurred without Columbus.
We can still celebrate the achievements of flawed people as long as we acknowledge these flaws, and do not treat these historical figures to be completely negative or completely positive ones.
Removing the holiday to eliminate the narrative of Columbus being an accomplished explorer and discoverer of the Americas would eliminate the complexity of the story, and we would lose a part of our shared history.
I think that we should keep Columbus Day to remember his journey and finding the Americas but we should also add an additional holiday on a different day for the Indigenous people. They both deserve to be recognized in some way whether it’s a whole day about them, or just recognizing what they did and commemorating them. Just like Nevada, I believe that we should meet in the middle ground and have two separate days to celebrate the occasions. They both deserve to be celebrated and they should both be celebrated in different ways. Some people might want to honor these holidays with a party or festival and some might want to celebrate by learning about the past events and commemorating the people who were part of it. Even though Columbus did some things that today would be considered repugnant we should still acknowledge him and the things he did to help build up this country. In addition, people should add on to their celebrations and appreciate the things the Indigenous people went through and did during the time of Columbus. Even though some people might not agree with one of the holidays I believe that they are both still important to recognize and celebrate. Both Columbus and Indigenous people contributed to the building up of this country and helped it to be the place it is today.
I believe that Columbus Day should not be an American holiday. Along with Columbus “discovering” the Americas, he was not a man that we should be honoring. He brought violence and slavery to a country that was better off without him. If we do create any holiday surrounding this topic, it should be to remember the Natives that he enslaved and killed. As we would never celebrate the first day of African slavery, we should not celebrate a man who created an enslaved way of living for Native people.
Personally I feel like we should have an indigenous people’s day instead of a Columbus day. I still feel like we should learn about Columbus in history class but we should not act like he is some sort of hero. I don’t think we should act like he is a great person because in the article we learn that he was responsible for many deaths, enslaving many people and selling them off. The article states that a sculpture of Columbus was defaced with graffiti which shows that many people believe that Columbus day should not be a thing and should be replaced with indigenous people’s day. Even though Columbus did all of those terrible things I believe he should still be taught in history class because he is still a part of history, but the way that he is taught in history class should be different. He should be taught more as a man who brought trouble to the indigrous people. In the textbooks we have today he is taught as a great man who discovered the new world and we learn about how great he was but after learning people are starting to realize that he was not a great person.
I think we should keep Columbus day, but add “Indigenous people’s day” as a separate holiday. Although Columbus is not a good person and did many bad things in his past. It is important to show our history good or bad, without leaving anything out, even if it’s not something to be proud of. I also think we shouldn’t recognize the holiday and celebrate, but realize some of the terrible things that happened under his name. In the Goodbye Columbus? Article it acknowledges the millions of people of Indigenous People that were enslaved and killed in Columbus’s legacy. Everything that happened in his name should be remembered on Columbus Day, it should no longer be celebrated as the start of the United States, but as a reminder of the unforgivable past, not leaving any details or events out. Many people see Columbus day through different eyes, In the article, it talks about how the holiday is cheered on by many Italian immigrants who had been treated as “second class citizens”. But in more recent events, young people, and people of many different ages and backgrounds, have said that Columbus day should no longer be a national holiday. With the addition of “indigenous people’s day,” we can celebrate the culture and life, that already existed before Columbus, as well as keeping the holiday that remembers Columbus’s life, through every bad doing and success
Since our earliest education, we learn that Christopher Columbus discovered America or “the New World,” however, this “discovery” is controversial. If the land was uninhabited when Columbus arrived, he should be credited with this discovery but in fact, the Native Americans had been living in this New World. While one may respect the actions that paved the way for communication between Europe and the Americas, it is difficult not to ignore the cruel and merciless actions that started the wipeout of Native Americans in the region. From violence to slavery to deadly diseases, the Native American’s endured years of torture. Should we honor a historical figure who, according to the blog, is responsible for killing up to 80% of the possible 100 million people living in the New World with a disease transmitted from across the ocean, starvation, and murder? It should not be Columbus who needs to be celebrated, rather the Native Americans deserve to be acknowledged for the sacrifices they made and honor those past and present. In order to preserve history, it is only right to celebrate Indigenous People’s Day instead of Columbus Day, but it is important to educate Americans, young and old, on why this change has occurred.
Columbus Day should be completely deserted and instead replaced with Indigenous People’s Day. To celebrate a man for “discovering” already discovered land is wrong and shouldn’t be condemned. It is mentioned in the article that Columbus was a part of the enslavement and deaths of millions of indigenous people by diseases and slaughter. He also contributed to the Atlantic Slave Trade, which, in my opinion, is the most inhumane act someone could ever endure. In Goodbye, Columbus? the argument that he changed the world by “spurring” trade between the Western and Eastern Hemispheres and soon leading to the development of the United States simply does not make up for what Columbus put harmless Indigenous People through. Regardless of Columbus and his status, I believe it is important for Indigenous People to have a day dedicated to them to commemorate the inhumane conditions they were forced to go through, and their discovery of the Americas as a whole. In this article, it is mentioned that a man named John Fuller believes that good or bad, Columbus should be remembered for his “contributions” to this country, therefore, his day should not be provoked. Although I do believe it is important to remember the horrible things he’s done, he does not deserve a day dedicated to celebrating him.
Indigenous People’s Day should take the place of Columbus Day as a national holiday immediately. What Columbus did connecting the Europeans with the New World in 1492 is an incredible feat, and that should not be taken away from him. However, what he did as a person is disgusting, and must be a part of his history. While it is important to show the full truth of history, Columbus is not deserving of a national holiday in his name. Columbus should be held responsible for a numerous number of Native American deaths that occured after he arrived in 1492, and a national holiday treasuring him is not how you hold him responsible. An alternative to celebrating the genocide of an entire ethnic group, is celebrating the Native Americans that are the true discoverers of this land. Celebrating a man for enslaving and decimating an entire race is senseless, and disrespectful. According to the article, Native Americans say this holiday is a celebration of their “culture’s destruction” (De Stefani). If the vast majority of Native Americans want Columbus Day to be changed to Indigenous People’s Day, then that is what should be done. Celebrating Columbus’ accomplishments on a minor scale would be acceptable, as long as you aren’t commemorating what he did as a person.
In my opinion we should replace Columbus day with a holiday for Native Americans nation wide. It wouldn’t work well to call it a day to acknowledge it as a reminder whilst still keeping it named after the man responsible for the death of so many. “the communicable diseases like smallpox and measles that the Europeans had would also wipe out – intentionally or not – the Native populations.” Seen as he even if not on purpose would lead to the death of entire populations. Instead pitching Columbus day as Indigenous Peoples Day would work better as it celebrates the people who had lived on the North and South American continents long before any Europeans arrived. The Native Americans that were mascaraed after Columbus arrived should not go unnoticed while Columbus the man who started this is celebrated as a hero. The only sensible things to do is either change the name of the holiday, change the meaning of it, change the things that happen on it, or just get rid of it then and there. “People have been considering removing Columbus Day and replacing it w/ a day honoring Native Americans”. Seen here with how people are thinking of dealing with this holiday.
I believe it’s very important to acknowledge significant parts of history whether it’s good or bad. Especially if it affected a large group of people that still exist in our country, even if they did not. I agree with Columbus historian, Charles Mann, when he says If you discuss history in the right way it can be tremendously healthy. We as Americans, as people, should not celebrate a person/group of people who has caused so much hurt to other people. Instead we should use it as an informational day. Educate people on what happened, explain why it happened and the tremendous effects from it. Although I do understand some Italians point of views where they want to honor their Italian heritage, like in the “How Is This Still a Thing” video there are many other events you can commemorate, I don’t understand why someone would want to celebrate and honor that part of history. In the Goodbye Columbus article, republican John Fuller talks about how influential Columbus was in modern history. I think it’s important to recognize what kind of influence he had on people. Influencing people to commit genocide and claim land that already had Native people? Enslave humans? Even if he did benefit the economy by spurring trade I think it is very necessary to talk about how he achieved such accomplishments.
I believe that we should replace Columbus day With Indigenous Peoples’ Day. I think that we should still acknowledge Columbus, but in negative remarks, for he did so many terrible things to the natives. Indigenous People’s Day should be a day to celebrate the Indigenous people, but also to think about the terrible acts that Columbus and his men brought upon the Indigenous people. According to the article, about 80% of the native Americans were killed from Diseases brought by Columbus and his crew. While this is by no means completely Columbus’s fault, he should not be put in good name for this. But Columbus was guilty of many more Heinous activities. Columbus pillaged land from the natives. He stepped into the new world like a tyrant and just started stealing land. He also took many of the natives as slaves to sell to the Europeans. It makes no sense that Columbus day even exists in the first place, considering all of the terrible things that he has done to the natives. Columbus should be kept in History books so that we can learn from our past and not repeat his actions, but he should not be praised with a holiday of his own.
Columbus Day should be pitched in favor of celebrating Indigenous peoples and culture. The “Goodbye, Columbus?” article states October 12th marks the discovery of America by Columbus and the start of Native American genocides. The arrival of Columbus and his men impacted Indigenous communities with diseases, war, and famine. Critics explain how 80% of the millions (unclear #) of Native Americans died throughout the discovery and settlement lead by Columbus. The current holiday does not accurately portray Native culture or history nor recognize their contributions to our country. Columbus should be responsible for the deaths of millions of Natives because of his leadership throughout the discovery. Instead of Columbus being commemorated for non-accurate history, the national holiday should be replaced with a day dedicated to representing Indigenous peoples.
I believe we should celebrate Indigenous people’s day instead of Columbus Day. Christopher Columbus’ actions lead to the death of 80% of Native Americans. Although the diseases were not entirely his fault, he was still responsible for enslaving Indigenous people and taking their land. By celebrating Indigenous people’s day, we would be honoring the Native Americans that were killed. I also believe we should still be teaching about Christopher Columbus in a way that is not praising him. Columbus was a racist and power hungry man. When learning about him at school, it was always sugar coated to fit a white washed agenda. If we continue to learn about his “accomplishments”, what kind of example would that set? An example where white men can get away with genocide? Instead, we should acknowledge the events he caused that lead to the New World. He did not find America, he stole it. His only contributions were the diseases, warfare, and famine he gave to Indigenous people. If we continue to praise Christopher Columbus for discovering America, not only our we perpetuating lies, we would also spreading white-washed ideologies. As a result, we are limiting our society to have the ability to think about all parts of history (including the bad parts).
Columbus should not be celebrated in the way that he currently is in many states. He was, at his core, a racist and genocidal man. We cannot as a society leave this man on a figurative and literal pedestal without seriously considering how he impacted the communities and civilizations already in place at the time of his arrival. He caused a massive shift in the history of the Americas, and many would consider it a negative shift overall. According to the article, Columbus day was first celebrated in 1792; the American viewpoint in 1792 was simply incorrect. By perpetuating the racist ideals of those times, we are allowing ourselves to fall into the same patterns as our predecessors. We should still learn about his contributions to history, but Christopher Columbus should not be commemorated with a national holiday. I think that we should set aside a day of the school year to learn about Columbus and his accomplishments, but that a version of indigenous peoples’ day should be celebrated on a specific day, in the form of a national holiday. Columbus was not a good person, and shouldn’t be portrayed as the hero that many people have come to see him as.
I think that we should remove Columbus Day and replace it with Indigenous Peoples day. I think this because I agree with what the article stated, Columbus did terrible things. For example, start an onset of slavery by kidnapping and enslaving more than one thousand people. As well as commit mass murder and behead many. And to top that all off, he was a terrible leader, which seeing as all of the things hes done are terrible its kind of a given. He was also many other things not mentioned in the article, like a rapist and sexual predator. And while he did do very little actually good things, like actually find the new world and all that land, they don’t even begin to make up for all the bad and hurt he’s done and created, and him finding the new land was an onset to all the bad he did. Therefore, I don’t really think that people want or need to celebrate a man like that. On the other hand, the people who should be celebrated are the ones who endured this and died because of it, and who are also under appreciated, the indigenous people. Which is why I think we should honor and celebrate them with Indigenous Peoples day instead of Columbus.
I believe that we should fully replace Columbus Day with some form of Indigenous People’s Day. What Columbus did to the Native’s was absolutely atrocious and not something that I think should be celebrated.” It’s estimated that something like 80% of the 45-100 million Native Americans who lived in the New World were wiped out by disease, war, and famine brought on by discovery.” This just goes to show the horrid things brought upon the Native’s by Columbus and his crew. Even if you believe that all of this was not personally Columbus’s fault, he still directly manipulated and took advantage of the Native’s to take their land by force and conquer them. On the other hand, the Native’s had to endure so much at the hands of Columbus but were still able to contribute so much to our society today and that is something that I think should be fully celebrated. To celebrate these things, I think we shouldn’t just limit Indigenous people’s day to one day, I think we should make it around a week long and celebrate a different thing about Indigenous people everyday. I think that then Native’s will finally get the recognition they deserve for what they been through and they they’ve contributed to our society.