58 thoughts on “Blog #145 – Columbus Day – what are your thoughts?”

1. Maggie September 7, 2022 at 11:50 am

   I think we should not keep Columbus Day as is, instead making it more of an Indigenous People’s recognition day. This is because of its misinterpreted meaning, and prejudice-filled history. Happened to the Native Americans afterwards? I think celebrating Indigenous People’s Day instead of Columbus would be generally more beneficial– even to those who disagree with the notion. As Columbus was really never an Catholic-Italian that set foot on the Americas, the false notion of Columbus’ legend caused many Italian immigrants to become infatuated with him– which is the major problem with changing the holiday’s purpose. His entire purpose was to travel for gold and for the expansion and growth of his country, and ended up murdering hundreds of thousands of Natives in result of his greed, pushing anything out of the way to get what he wanted– and most people ignore that fact.

   If there were any other way to create a mutually beneficial holiday, I would say we should all take that opportunity- one that celebrates both Italian culture and Native culture, and both of their mistreatments. Separate holidays could do the trick, giving both of them- maybe back-to-back days- around Columbus Day to keep the importance of the date in either a negative or positive way.

   I wouldn’t like to find out if our school board (or etc.) would officially celebrate Columbus Day or Indigenous People’s Day, only because it’s not my decision to change it, it’s the school boards- and usually when they have it one way, they like to keep it that way. I don’t feel like it’s my place to stand up, as a non-Indigenous person, and say that this is wrong– I have a fear of offending people, although if others started and were comfortable with me joining in to support them, I would do so gladly. It’s only important to me that I celebrate the way I want to, and that would be recognizing Indigenous People’s day rather than Columbus Day.
2. Jacob September 7, 2022 at 12:38 pm

   I think we should be keeping Columbus Day around. This is because of the meaning the Italian Americans have associated with the day and what it means to them. However I think we should modify the meaning and install more education about what Columbus and his men did, and truly how he wronged these native people whose land we reside on. The conquests and conquering of the native people have had lasting effects in the community until today and to omit this would be a disservice to all native tribes and people who have suffered from this.

   I feel that we should not remove Columbus day however we should implement Indigenous Peoples Day on a different day. We can use both days for similar yet different purposes. Indigenous People Day can be used to teach culture and history of the native Americans it champions, and Columbus Day could be used to celebrate Italian culture and Italian Americans . If we remove Columbus day we would be doing a disservice to those Italian people who reside themselves within the idea of Columbus day being in honor of them and their people. However I think if we don’t celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day then we are also doing a disservice to these native peoples who have been wronged by their oppressed throughout history. It would also be possible for Columbus day to be replaced by a specific day designated to Italian Americans like an Italian Heritage Day or something of that nature to include those Italian Americans who were wronged by parts of history.

   I would like to see if the school board would be open to seeing out both holidays for what they can provide to both Italian Americans and Indigenous Peoples. Throughout days designated to both or the two holidays we already have but on separate days. As we could have a holiday designated to the history and culture of Italian Americans, as well as historic and honorable Italian figures. We could use the subsequent holiday for celebrating Native People their history and culture as well as their own historical figures and contributions throughout time and acknowledging that it is their land we reside on.
3. Claire P September 7, 2022 at 4:13 pm

   Instead of continuing to celebrate Columbus Day, we should acknowledge the history Columbus made and the outcome for the Native Americans. Columbus wrongfully took land that indiginous nations inhabited. In addition to stealing their home, Columbus enslaved and killed the indiginous people in order to gain his authority, as James W. Lowen in Lies My Teacher Told Me explains, “It can also be understood as a bloody atrocity that left a legacy of genocide and slavery that endures in some degree to this day” (Lowen, 86). Even though this is a piece of history that should be remembered, it shouldn’t be celebrated as a holiday across America.

   Even though eliminating Columbus Day in order to celebrate Indiginous People’s day is better than celebrating Columbus Day, we should remove the holiday entirely and create a new holiday, on a different date, that celebrates Indiginous people. Creating a new holiday to commemorate the Indigenous people of America would allow everyone to learn the truth about Columbus and his “discovery.” It would also provide a perfect opportunity to learn more about the Indigenous population. We should communicate with Indigenous people to find a date that would mean something to them to attach the holiday to and how they want the holiday to be celebrated, as stated in the article Detroit celebrates first Indigenous Peoples’ Day in place of Columbus Day, “Councilwoman Raquel Castañeda-López spearheaded the effort in partnership with a coalition of Detroit’s indigenous leaders” (Ferretti).

   I am not interested in finding out who celebrates Columbus day and who doesn’t. I don’t feel it is my responsibility to advocate for the Indigenous people nor do I feel the need to stand up against the school board, local city, or village government. I feel my responsibility is to correct someone when they are speaking incorrectly about Columbus and the history that surrounds him. However, I will, personally, recognize Indigenous peoples Day over Columbus day.
4. Enzo Morucci September 7, 2022 at 6:52 pm

   I believe that we should get rid of this holiday, and perhaps replace it with Indigenous Peoples Day, on the same day or perhaps another, so that Indigenous people don’t have to feel associated with Christopher Columbus and have their own day. I believe this because while many historians and a lot of other people believe that Columbus was not an entirely bad person and that it’s important to remember him and his discovery, that “discovery” of his brought about some unthinkable things, a lot of which he was either the indirect or direct cause for its start or committed those atrocities himself. It is important to remember what was done so it isn’t repeated, but it shouldn’t be celebrated. If it is necessary to keep this holiday, instead of it being a massive party, it should be a solemn acknowledgment of the atrocities committed against the First Peoples.

   The main point of his importance was that he was the first. For one, he wasn’t the first to explore America. Maybe him getting there at that point set off the course of events that brought us here today, but if he didn’t go across the ocean like many others already had, some other explorer would have gone instead. And maybe, if someone else had gone, some of these atrocities wouldn’t have happened, but unfortunately they probably would have happened anyway. Therefore, I do not think Columbus should be celebrated just by considering the fact that he wasn’t a revolutionary thinker or anything, he just noticed that he could get rich and decided he wanted to go. (Yes there probably were other reasons, but greed was a pretty massive one). On top of that there’s all the horrendous acts he did, such as getting the transatlantic slave trade going and installing a system to get the most work out of enslaved Indigenous peoples, among others.

   I understand that Columbus Day is important to Italian Americans, because it gave them a national holiday to relate and be proud of, but now that a lot of people understand the true story of Christopher Columbus, enough for multiple states to change it to Indigenous Peoples Day, I don’t know if he is someone that Italian Americans would want to be associated to.

   I don’t think it’s right for me as a non-indigenous person to chase after something that isn’t my business to deal with, whether by going to the school board, government, etc.., or through another way. I would gladly join an Indigenous person in going after this change, but I don’t think I should be the one to start it.
5. Helena H September 7, 2022 at 7:40 pm

   I think there could be a way to keep Columbus Day as a reminder of all the terrible things he did and also as an opportunity to educate people on these facts. However, I think this could also be harmful because people from other generations only learned about Columbus being a good person and it could be hard to change their minds. This could be a problem because these people might see Columbus Day as a celebration instead of a solemn reminder of the terrible things he did to the Indigenous Peoples. Also I think if we kept Columbus day we should not have it be a day off, but instead use it to educate people in schools and through social media and news outlets.

   I don’t think that we should replace Columbus day with Indigenous Peoples day because I feel like if we had an Indigenous Peoples day it should be a separate celebration of their culture and heritage, not just a reminder of the horrible things that happened when Columbus came. While you could still include some sort of memorial for all the lives lost to Columbus and his men, I feel like the day should be more focused on the positives and celebrating them as a people.

   I think that if we were to do anything we should consult Indigenous people because, as a non-Indigenous person, I don’t think it would be right for me to fight for something on someone else’s behalf without talking to them. If we talked to them and they wanted my help to change it I would be completely open to helping but as of right now it is not my fight so I would not want to get involved past talking to indigenous people about what they might want to do.
6. Parker September 7, 2022 at 8:35 pm

   I believe Columbus day should no longer be recognized as an official holiday. The concept of celebrating and recognizing a man who brought slaughter and horror to the Americas is nothing short of confusing. The honor of having a whole day dedicated toward your achievements is something that had only been given to people such as Martin Luther King Junior. MLK dedicated his life to the equality of all and lived and died for that cause, the celebration of his life and legacy is extremely fair and necessary, and the honors bestowed upon him in the form of MLK day are just. However, comparing the legacy of Columbus to that of MLK clearly shows issue in the fact that both of these figures are given a day in honor of themselves. In conclusion, a day in honor of a figure such as Columbus is not necessary.

   I feel that indigenous people’s day could definitely be celebrated, as the original inhabitants of our nation should be given respect and honor for all they had done centuries before outside interaction. Seeing how Columbus is a very controversial figure, the day for the Indigenous people should be on a different day than what Columbus day was initially. Having a day in honor of the same indigenous people Columbus had killed and on the same day that had previously been giving him honor would seriously undermine the true meaning of the day. The day should clearly be a celebration of America’s indigenous past, and not some attempt to cover up our prior beliefs.

   I personally would not be interested in looking into our area’s current stance on Columbus/Indigenous people’s day. However, if someone does feel strongly enough about the topic then yes, I’d say reach out for change. If anything is wrong or unjust then change is something that should be sought out and fought for.
7. Genevieve September 7, 2022 at 8:57 pm

   In my opinion, we should get rid of Columbus Day and replace it with a day to have some sort of memorial for the indigenous people who were killed, enslaved, and negatively affected by the actions of Columbus. I think we should still create an Indigenous People’s day, but on a separate day. Although it is important to acknowledge and learn about what horrible things Columbus brought upon indigenous people, I believe that we should also celebrate their culture and push for a better future.

   In the discussion video, they talked about how people can celebrate Indigenous People’s Day by learning more about indigenous cultures and trying to make Indigenous People’s Day a national Holiday. Having two days could be beneficial because we could be able to have a day that is more like a memorial on what is now Columbus day and have a day to learn about native cultures. I think that it is important to learn not only about the terrible things that indigenous people went through, but also what their lives and cultures were before Columbus came to the Americas.

   I would be interested in finding out if our school boards or local government has changed or is open to changing Columbus day and/or creating Indigenous people’s day. I believe that we should consider changing the Columbus Day holiday because having Columbus celebrated makes him seem like a good person and role model, when he was not. While I think that it would be beneficial to change the holiday, it should be up to the people who are indigenous to decide if the holiday should be changed because it is about honoring their ancestors and cultures. If Indigenous people want to change Columbus day, I would want to help create that change because it is important to me that history is taught as it really happened with many perspectives and groups of people.
8. Ashton Denys September 7, 2022 at 9:10 pm

   1. I really liked the ideas that we had in class about keeping Columbus day as a day of remembrance and maybe even a chance to re-educate. Now I could definitely see an argument to keep it as he still was an important figure and was apparently quite prominent in the Italian American community, but I could see this easily overcome by creating an Italian Heritage day. Another interesting thing I started thinking about was the idea that people like Columbus and Washington and who not have been elevated to the status they have in the States because of the lack of a history the Untied States has. I mean for such a huge and diverse nation it doesn’t have something like a long and powerful history to keep it together like European countries do. Nor does it have these powerful figures to look up to and inspire people or keep them in line like the Greek gods keep them in line. So, naturally we’ve gotta find a way to supplement that. I could see this as an argument to keep Colobus day the way it is. That being a way to make America that much more patriotic. But what’s the point if it just leads to further divide in the country? If you’re holiday meant to unify the American people leaves out the American people who were there first doesn’t that seem a little backwards?

   2. I say we keep Columbus day as either a day of remorse, maybe rename it, and give Indigenous peoples day a separate national holiday. Use Columbus day to look backwards and appreciate the early natives and use Indigenous peoples day to appreciate the indigenous people of today. I think having an indigenous peoples could really help the issues of people not knowing educated about native peoples. I think we maybe learned about them for a year or two in elementary and never again. I bet you if you asked 20 people on the street, 17 wouldn’t be able to name a single native American tribe. Now realistically most adults wouldn’t care too much, but if you could teach some middle or highschool kids something new about indigenous peoples, that might just stick.

   You know I tried to find something on how columbus day was celebrated in places like Haiti for some inspiration and I couldn’t find a single reliable article. I mean I found something by some super christian group but that’s about it. Anyways, I think it’s an interesting idea, and I could see it happening locally and or on a state level, but I just can’t see it happening on a country wide scale. But yah, I definitely think it should at the very least be brought to the attention of someone important. I mean to at least include an Indigenous peoples day wouldn’t hurt anyone. If anything it’d probably go over quite well with the indigenous peoples. I’m sure we could get someone qualified enough to speak in some schools, or something. I mean come on local government, if we can have an international day of awesomeness, we can have an indigenous peoples day.
9. Ryan C. September 7, 2022 at 9:12 pm

   I do think that we should keep Columbus Day as a federal holiday in the United States because I think that we should celebrate all the good things that Columbus did. Though, we should also learn and keep in mind all the horrible things he did to the indigenous people that were native to this land. First of all, I do not think that we should forget and not celebrate all the things that Columbus did for Europe. He was the first European to discover the new world and he was the first person to inform everyone back in Europe about all the new land. Next, as the summer reading portrayed he challenged the way of thinking of the Catholic church. Everyone in Europe believed that the Catholic church was always right because the bible knew of all existence and life. Though, Columbus challenged this by discovering new people and animals that had never been talked about in the bible. This changed the way of thinking in Europe and was one of the kickstarts to the renaissance. He also improved the food security in Europe by bringing over new foods from the new world. This boosted the population in Europe because there was a lot more food to go around because of the sustainable flow from the Americas. Though, the indigenous people did have to suffer through Columbus’s reign and we do not want to leave them out of the story. Columbus and the Spaniards forced the indigenous people into forced labor. They forced them into the Encomienda system which was just slavery. Columbus forced the indigenous people to help him look for gold and if they stepped out of line he would torcher and kill them. Also, Columbus took over their original homelands and used their resources for his own gain. We do not want to forget all the bad things that Columbus did to the natives in order to get what he wanted. This is why I think we should keep Columbus day but not forget all the horrible things that he did to the indigenous inhabitants.

   I think that we should celebrate Columbus day and Indigenous people’s day on the same day because both of them were important figures in history so we should celebrate both. I think that we should celebrate and recognize both days as important for both of the ongoing cultures that are associated with and recognize both of these figures of history. If we only celebrate Columbus day we are being unfair and not recognizing the indigenous communities that are still around today. Columbus and the Spanish treated the indigenous people very badly and had no regard for what they thought about what he was doing in their native homeland. To not celebrate Indigenous people’s day would be bad because we wouldn’t be showing appreciation for what the indigenous culture had to go through and deal with. Though, I also do not think we should get rid of Columbus day because we would only be remembering him for all the bad things he did. He helped the Europeans a lot by stopping the shortage of food in Europe and by leading a new way of thinking towards the bible. If we got rid of this day many Italian communities would feel like they would be being singled out by society. They would feel disrespected because one of their main hero’s would be unfit to celebrate by the rest of the country. I think that they both should be celebrated on the same day to give respect and appreciation to both communities. We could show respect to the indigenous people for how wrong they were treated. Also, we could celebrate Columbus’s achievements and also learn of how he inhumanely treated the indigenous community when he landed in the new world. I do not think that there is another option because both parties could feel left out or discriminated against if we chose to only recognize one of the holidays. Also, if we recognize them on different days, people would take away from the celebration by only looking at the bad things one culture did to the other and not celebrating the achievements.

   As of right now in Beverly hills, Michigan Columbus day has been replaced by indigenous peoples day in the community. I do not think that I should argue with the Beverly Hills council on changing it because it does not matter what I think because it is not up to me to decide. I would not want to argue with changing it because if I fight for one side or the other I would not want to receive backlash from the community I am fighting against. I would not want to be labeled as a biased person by either the Italian or indigenous communities because I do not agree with one of their holidays. That is why I think I would not try and change it because it is not my place and I would not want to receive backlash from one of the communities in the area.
10. Juno Saulson September 8, 2022 at 2:29 pm

    1. I don’t think we should keep Columbus Day as a national holiday. Every year, its passing reminds us of the sick, propaganda-filled history of our country. It’s a grim reminder of all the terrible things Columbus has done. I’ve thought a lot about what we should do instead of having a day celebrating a genocidal maniac, and it goes as follows. We rename the day “indigenous memorial day” or “native peoples remembrance day”, something along those lines. This can be remembrance of the Residential Schools, Indian Hospitals, Slavery, failed revolts, genocide, Stolen Land, or specific ancestors who were killed by a facet colonialism. We can also have an Indigenous Peoples Day, sometime later in the year (possibly in November, which is Indigenous Heritage Month). We can use the remembrance day to relearn our history, but leaving behind the inaccurate stories of white historians. Focusing more on a native perspective. While also using the aforementioned “Indigenous Peoples Day ” to celebrate the diversity of the culture belonging to indigenous people in the United States. Having a national holiday that celebrates Columbus is just salt in the wound towards indigenous groups that have been permanently affected by his reach.

    2. As I mentioned beforehand, I strongly believe that we should have an Indigenous Peoples Day as opposed to Columbus Day. By celebrating Columbus Day, we are celebrating Columbus and his achievements. Whether we like it or not, he and his crew would sexually assault and rape women of tribes, coerce the men into slavery, as well as mutilate and attack anyone who stood up against them. He was a morally reprehensible person, someone who we should NOT be celebrating. There is no way to change the tides, and make Columbus Day in favor of the indigenous people he hurt. I think the main issue with removing Columbus Day would offend the Italian Immigrants of this country. He was seen as a role model, an adventurer, an explorer of the new world. The fact that an Italian man was/is seen as this great hero, it helps the Italians feel more represented. Considering how Catholic Italians who came to this country during the late 19th century/early 20th century faced prejudice on a day to day basis, having this “patriotic role model” helped them become positive in the eyes of other Americans. But I propose we have an “Italian Heritage Day”, in which we celebrate the other Italians in history that have had an impact in our collective history as humans. It gives them actual role models who weren’t horrible people.

    3.To put it simply, yes. I would love to go before a local government and debate my heart out. The indigenous people of this country have been erased, ignored, and treated like a joke by the federal government. From the Residential Schools, or quality of life in reservations today, the American Government owes the first nation peoples of this country closure, apologies, all that sort of stuff. By removing Columbus day from our calendars, they can become one step closer to treating the natives with respect and acknowledging our failures as a country (when it comes to the treatment of indigenous people).
11. Lindsay Kennedy September 8, 2022 at 3:41 pm

    Columbus is a patriotic symbol for America. A heroic white man, being white is the only reason he was remembered hundred of years later. What about those who came before Columbus,ignored and even forgotten. People could not possibly fathom the Americas being discovered by anyone other than a white person.Knowing the truth about Columbus makes that sentence horrifying. Columbus got away with Mascaraing and Enslaving Thousands of Natives. To uphold and put such a person on a petestool really shows what America is about.That being said I think Columbus Day represents a lot for Italian-Americans and Amerucans in general, however I do not think Columbus should be celebrated by having a Government Holiday as his name. I believe it should be replaced completely with Indiginous people day to honor those lives that Columbus destroyed. Columbus actions echo into today with induginous people suffering still to this day. People need to be educated about the man who “discovered” the americas.
    I believe that the idea of having both columbus day and indiginous people on the same day is a violation to Indiginous people. They should not have to share a Day with the man who has destroyed the lives of Indigenous people.Indiginoues people need to be liberated and heard after being silenced for hundreds of years. As we progress we need to correct and not repeat our mistakes. Giving Indigounos people some closure would help us move forward as a society.
    I personally would be interested but I believe others can do the jobs better than I can. Many of my classmates are very good at perpetuating their ideas and I think they would best fit your job. However I do feel strongly about this injustice so if needed I would gladly stand up for Indiginous people.
12. Titus Smith September 8, 2022 at 4:03 pm

    I believe that we should acknowledge Columbus day with a solemn reminder of what happened to the natives. I think Columbus will always be a pivotal part of American history and his voyage shouldn’t be erased. After all he is the catalyst for the creation of the 13 colonies which eventually turned into our country today. However, he is responsible for terrible things and atrocities against the native people. He spread disease to the natives killing them in groves as well as enslaving them and treating them as less than human. Because of Columbus’ complicated history I don’t think he should be lost in history, instead we should always remember him so we don’t succumb to his shortcomings. I think Columbus day should be a day of reflection on the history of America, a day where we ponder the negative sides of our history so we never repeat the same mistakes.

    I don’t think Columbus day should be transformed into indegenous peoples day because the indegenous people have more significant days and traditions that need to be celebrated independently of columbus. There should be an indegenous people’s day but not to replace Columbus day. I think every culture in America should be celebrated, especially the natives since they discovered this land but I don’t think that they should be celebrated on a rather negative day in their history.

    I think we should lobby to change the day not only because Columbus is a complicated person who committed many atrocious acts, but changing the day would also give us a space to reflect on other troubling historical figures. Slave owners in the south, racist officals in the government, mayors who banned women from voting. Our history is filled with so many troubling figures that a day to acknowledge all of them would be great for our education
13. Lauren M. September 8, 2022 at 4:10 pm

    I feel that Columbus Day should be kept; not as a celebration but as a memorial. Columbus was not the first to “Discover” the new world. There is ample evidence that Scandinavians in 1005 CE as well as Phoenicians in 750 BCE crossed the Atlantic first, not to mention the hundreds of civilizations already there. Yes, Columbus sparked European crossings which rippled into the world we know today. However, while acknowledging Columbus’s voyage was a trigger for a continued connection across the Atlantic, we must also take notice of the enslavement, murder, and misplacement that Columbus thrust upon the Indigenous peoples. His expedition was monumental, but Columbus should not be celebrated. Columbus Day should be a day to learn about the connection that was built between continents when he crossed, and also to mourn the destruction and death he caused.
    I propose that Indigenous Peoples Day be celebrated on a separate day. There should be a day to celebrate the Indigenous Nations, Cultures, Land, and as valid citizens of America. More importantly, to have this day without the weight of a memorial Columbus Day could and should become. A day for people of every race to learn more about the Indigenous people, not just as a historical tragedy, but as people and cultures who are alive today, struggling to have their voices heard.
    If there is an opportunity to change Columbus day in our community, we should take it. Michigan already does not celebrate Indigenous peoples day, but I believe more action to celebrate the Indigenous peoples in our immediate community should be taken, whether it is to transition to indigenous people’s day, or reframe Columbus day more accurately. I also think that in pursuing this change, we should make an effort to reach out to local indigenous peoples. This is their story, after all, and we should make sure it is told however they see fit.
14. AJ September 8, 2022 at 5:17 pm

    I think we should not keep Columbus day as it is right now. Instead we should combine Columbus day and indiginous people day. We shouldn’t abolish Columbus from history because we shouldn’t forget the mistakes he made. Just like all the horrible things that happened in American history that we still learn about, if we exclude these things, we could repeat events. We learn from our mistakes, and Columbus is no different. The truth of Columbus’s life and the importance of the Indians to European explorers should be emphasized.
    In addition to these changes, other European explorers should be recognized for their effort in exploring the new world. Explorers such as John Cabot, Robert LaSalle, Samuel de Champlain, and Francisco Coronado. All of them landed in the Americas after Columbus and aren’t so wide spread as Columbus himself. Columbus should be learned for his achievements and his greatest mistakes. The Indians should be learned of how they helped the Europeans and their eventual suffering by them. Other explorers should be learned because all of them had an impact on Europe. The Indians helped the Europeans by showing them how to plant crops and what crops to actually plant. Indiginous people day needs to be a part of this combination day, because they play a huge part of our history. An example is the mayflower voyage. The Indians helped the pilgrims plant crops and survive the winter. The story of Thanksgiving is because of the kindness of the Indians to provide that meal.
    Michigan as of October of 2021, officially started celebrating Indiginous people day instead of Columbus day. While I do have my opinion on the day and the changes that I think should be made, I’m not going to “ask” the government to change it. I think the true change that should’ve been made has already been made.
15. jack brunt September 8, 2022 at 6:32 pm

    I think that we should keep Columbus Day for a few reasons. Firstly because he also benefited many people with a better life (not the indegenous people) but the Europeans that moved from Europe and got a better life with a lot of land. I’m not condoning what he did to the native peoples but his discovery led to over 250000 people getting a better life. We should change it from celebrating everything that he did to acknowledging the good and the bad. Nobody is perfect. Aswell italian Americans typically hold Colombus to a high standard and respect him alot. We could also shift a lot of the celebration of that day to them and italians legacy in america. As a typically left out group from American history I think it would benefit many Italians and make them proud that they got shere share in American history.

    We should add a indegenous peoples day to the national days. In addition to Columbus Day we should celebrate the indegenous people who were here first and acknowledge what European settlers did to harm the native peoples and make sure it doesn’t happen again. The native people should be able to celebrate their heritage and reclaim their ancestry that was taken from them. Native Americans are typically left out of American history and it would help a lot if we added more education to the story. We should keep Columbus Day while adding indegenous peoples day and that could benefit more people than it harms instead of the way we have it now.

    I will talk to the school board about possibly letting us have both days off. To reconcile with the native americans. I will also talk to our governor about the proposition aswell. Making italian and native americans more well known in our society.
16. Miller Mann September 8, 2022 at 6:38 pm

    I don’t think we should keep Columbus day, or at least not as it is celebrated in the US right now. Christopher Columbus was a horrible man, Columbus was a rapist, a murderer a slave owner, and a large part of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. I don’t think he deserves to be celebrated but of course, some will always disagree. I think that if we must keep Columbus day, we should propose a change in the holiday, making it a sort of day of remembrance, a more negative sense, not celebrating Columbus but in turn, celebrating the lives of those that were killed and look back on what has been done in the past to the Indigenous people of America to not repeat those acts in the future. But I also think we should keep the name, by not removing the title, those who would like to celebrate Christopher Columbus can, and they have every right to do so.
    In reality, I think the best decision would be to make Columbus day into something like “Indigenous Peoples Day”, to embrace those people who were pushed off of their land when the Europeans came over. Of course, there will still be people who disagree with this, as I said before. I think it may be a good idea to keep Columbus day but make it a day of remembrance like I said before as well, but also make another day dedicated to the indigenous people of the Americas. That way, there would likely be an easier transition between holidays and it would be more widely accepted across the United States.
    I think it would be a good idea to find out what our school board is doing but quite frankly I don’t know how much of an impact we would have. First of all, I honestly don’t care much about what or who others are choosing to celebrate. All I know is that I have chosen not to celebrate Christopher Columbus and it is not my place to tell others what they should do. While I hope that those people would come to terms with how bad of a man he was, I honestly think there are bigger problems in our society than an explorer who died over five hundred years ago.
17. Tyler C September 8, 2022 at 7:04 pm

    I think we should continue having Columbus day, and use it to educate ourselves and others about the truth behind Columbus. What he really did, what he really acted like, and what he really stood for. Continuing to celebrate him as some sort of god-like figure that discovered everything in the Americas is misrepresentation and disrespectful to the Indigenous people whose stories and culture get overshadowed by Columbus’ glorification. Learning about this could include facts commonly spread about Columbus which arent true such as his voyage being a first to the Americas and how it was super special because of that. The true reason is that Columbus’ “discovery” was not a first, but a last, and his discovery only made change because Europe itself was changing(Loewen, 53 in the summer reading book). Other good things to teach could be reasons for Columbus’ voyage. In the summer reading book, the author says that the main reasons for Columbus’ voyage were gold/money(Loewen 56), and the arms race in the western world which required constant weapons improvements and lots of funding(Loewen, 55). Another reason is the need of Europeans to spread christianity, not just amongst themselves but also throughout the whole world(Lowen, 57). Another motivation was the discovery that island conquest was a great route to wealth(Loewen, 57). It would also be good to teach about why Columbus’ “story” has been promoted more than others, like the motivations behind Italian-Americans to push for his prominence.

    I believe that along with having the new updated version of Columbus day, there should be another separate holiday, possibly during a time significant to Indigenous peoples and would be a day to learn about various local or non local indigenous cultures and groups. This could include visiting cultural centers/museums, speaking with local or large indigenous leaders in person or through video calls, and could include watching films and/or doing projects which present Indigenous people in a truthful light.

    I would be interested in figuring out the way our local areas currently handle this whole situation and possibly speaking to local leaders or representatives about how they might be able to improve or change the way things are handled now. I also think that before doing that, it would be important to reach out to indigenous groups in our greater area or Michigan and ask them what they think about how Columbus/Indigenous peoples day is handled and anything they would like to see changed about it.
18. Antonia Pancoast September 8, 2022 at 7:07 pm

    I think we should not keep Columbus day. We should instead celebrate Indigenous People’s Day. Keeping Columbus Day would make it seem we support him and his actions. Though it is also important to think of the Italian Americans who used Columbus to prove that they belonged in America. We could then add another official holiday specifically for Italian Americans that is not associated with Columbus, though it may be hard it would be better than a different Columbus Day.

    We should change the holiday, but in a way both sides are happy. Though there will always be someone that will never be happy, but it is important to try. If we can have a holiday that can celebrate Italian culture and one that can celebrate Indigenous culture. Knowing Columbus had not only taken their land but stripped the
    Native Americans of their rights. He had treated them so poorly with punishments such as cutting off an ear or finger. I would find it hard to want to continue celebrating him as a way of celebrating your culture. Personally that would feel as if I celebrated EL Chapo Guzman for “bravely” asking prison. Every minority should be represented but not in a way that is non-celebratory for a different minority.

    I would be very interested in finding out if the school board officially celebrates Columbus Day or Indigenous People’s Day. If the school does celebrate Columbus Day I would want to hear their reasoning. Either way I would want to try a persuade them to at least show support in celebrating Indigenous People’s Day. AS for the city, it would be hard to get them to switch to Indigenous People’s Day but using the the right information it would be possible. Such as previously mentioned, but also how he was not the first person to visit the Americas.
19. Brock K September 8, 2022 at 8:29 pm

    I think that Columbus Day should be a day of remembrance to all of the Indigenous people that were harmed or killed by Columbus’s actions. Though what he did was a catalyst to hundreds of years of prejudice and hate towards many races, his actions should be taught and remembered for the generations to come as to not revive his old world ideologies. Columbus’s racist vision, that’s still alive today, would fade away over time as children are taught the atrocities that he had committed all those centuries ago. Columbus day should focus more on the vast culture of the natives but still have the solemn reminder of Columbus’s actions.

    I feel like Indigenous peoples day would be a more fitting name to what I had described. People should be taught how there are hundreds of native cultures that all still exercise their heritage and religion to this day. Native Americans should have a day dedicated to them to celebrate their rich history. But, I also think Native Americans should be celebrated every day through little things like statues or murals around large cities. Though we should focus on remembering the Native who had been looked over for so many years, there are still people who want European representation. I think that there should be a separate “European explorer’s day” to give the people who might have immigrated from Europe some representation.

    I think that it would be really cool to see if our local area would officially celebrate Indigenous peoples day. We would also be able to officially acknowledge the Indigenous land that we stand on today. Though its not my decision to make because I’m not native, I’m interested in Native history so I would be happy to maybe see art in our local area or have speakers come to our school.
20. Teddy Abbot September 8, 2022 at 8:49 pm

    I believe we should not celebrate Columbus day and acknowledge it as a solemn reminder of what happened to the Native Americans afterwards. This is because There is nothing to celebrate. When you look back on What Columbus did, he really didn’t do much but hurt and kill innocent Native Americans. Columbus brought diseases that killed off a huge portion of the population and also executed a lot of Native Americans. Columbus also claims to have found new land when people were already there and others such as the viking have discovered it way before Colombus did. Vikings had found the Land around 500 years earlier than Columbus. Although many people don’t stand up for the Native Americans because they weren’t taught the truth. These examples are ignored and avoided when teaching about Columbus in school, the American history textbooks portray Columbus as the hero who discovered America. The reason Columbus was praised in the way he was is because of the change and effect it had on Europe and how they began to take over.

    Yes I believe we should pitch Columbus day in favor of celebrating indigenous peoples day. The Indingenous people should be celebrated for what they were put through being killed by Columbus and his men and by diseases they brought to America. Not only were the Native Americans killed they were also used as slaves at the time and for many more years.

    Yes I would be interested in seeing if our school board / local city / village governments officially celebrate Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples’ Day. I would like to hear about their thoughts on the holiday and see if they would be open to changing the holiday or celebrating both. Although I think it should also be up to the indgineous people in our area to have a say as well.
21. Jackson September 8, 2022 at 9:12 pm

    I do believe Columbus day should remain due to its lasting significance in the Italian-American community. Although I do believe the holiday should be subject to change. Instead of honoring the so called achievements Columbus made, the day should be dedicated to educating people on the true atrocities Columbus imposed on the Native American people. Native American populations still are affected to this day from the siege Columbus laid to this land. Having a day honoring slaughter instead of teaching the real truth is shocking, especially since a large amount of Native American ancestry is prominent in the United States.

    Introducing a separate holiday for the indigenous people is well deserved. This day should be spent on the education of not just students but people who are open minded and can accept change. Take 9/11 day for example, as students we spend majority of the day reviewing everything about the day. We learn through books, videos and articles on just about everything that went down that day. An Indigenous peoples day would be no different. Students would learn through the same ways they do about any other holiday. For people who aren’t in school, there are still many ways to spread information. Nowadays lots of info is spread through social media so keeping people informed wouldn’t be difficult.

    It would be interesting to see if the school board celebrates both Columbus day and Indigenous peoples day. People may argue if we were to adopt Indigenous peoples day which day it should be on. Should it be the same day or right around Columbus day? Ultimately it would be the boards decision. As a non indigenous person myself I don’t feel its my place to speak for them. I could still offer ideas but if a proposal to the school board was to be made, it should be by the Indigenous people.
22. Asher September 8, 2022 at 9:14 pm

    Asher Leopold

    I think that we should acknowledge Columbus Day as a day to commemorate and educate people about what happened to the Indigenous people after Columbus came. It is important that the history of America not be erased but we should change Columbus day from a celebration to an opportunity to teach people what really happened. The European voyages were not a noble discovery, they were a mass genocide based and greed and racism. It is important that people know this and do not have the wrong idea about Christopher Columbus. This is shown in the summer reading at “left a legacy of genocide and slavery that endures in some degree to this day” talking about Columbus.

    I do not think we should replace Columbus Day with Indigenous peoples day. Instead, I think that we should make an Inndigenous peoples day on a separate day because I think they should have their own day intended to celebrate and educate people about Indigenous culture. I think it should have nothing to do with Christopher Columbus because he should not be commemorated any more. I also think we should keep Columbus day not to celebrate him, but to teach people about what he did.

    I would be very interested in finding out weather the area celebrates Columbus Day officially or not. I believe that the Michigan government stopped officially celebrating Columbus Day a few years ago. I think this is good because we should not celebrate the day when this horrible person voyaged to the “New World.” I think we should possibly go and ask about officially celebrating an Idigenous Peoples Day because I think they deserve to be known about widely and celebrated. As of now, 13 different states have stopped celebrating Columbus Day including Alaska, Hawaii, and Maine and many monuments of Columbus have been removed from various places.
23. Jayda September 8, 2022 at 9:14 pm

    I think we should get rid of it as a holiday, but remember the natives that died because of Columbus. And we need to realize that we have been lied to about him most of our school careers and that’s not fair to us nor the Indigenous peoples that are still here and aren’t being recognized. When Columbus “found” America, he enslaved them and killed them. If Columbus Day sticks around, I think it should be us telling people that this was a horrible thing that happened to Indigenous people, and instead of honoring Columbus, we honor them because they were the ones that endured the pain and suffering that came with the Europeans.
    I think Columbus day should be Indigenous peoples day instead because they were the ones that really found our country. Goodbye, Columbus? States that the legacy of Columbus day is complicated and controversial because millions of Indigenous people were slaughtered, killed by diseases brought over by the Europeans, and they were enslaved. This is a prime example of why Columbus day should not be celebrated. Anyone that enslaves other people should not be celebrated or praised. I think it should be treated more like African slavery because they were very similar. We don’t have national holidays for African slave owners, so why should we have one for Columbus?
    I would be interested in knowing which holiday we celebrate. I think we should find out, and talk and decide if we want to keep Columbus day or Indigenous peoples day, and what we want to represent for our community. I think it would be disrespectful to leave Columbus day as is, and if it stays named that way, I think there should be a different meaning to it because Indigenous people have never had the recognition they deserve, and I think that is something that needs to change.
24. Jenna Rivera September 8, 2022 at 9:40 pm

    The legacy that Columbus is known for by most people, is this great American hero who “discovered” the Americans, and Columbus day is a representation and commemoration of Christopher and the great things he did for this country. I however do not believe that this was his legacy and what people should think about when thinking of Columbus. Columbus stole this land from the peaceful indigenous people that lived here thousands of years before Christopher. Then if that was not bad enough he enslaved them and treated them like animals. Personally, I feel that Columbus is a horrible person who should not be celebrated in any way shape, or form. Still, I also believe that we should consult the different tribes of first nation people and ask them what they would like to do going forward. If that entails abolishing Columbus day altogether then it shall be done or if they choose to keep it and change the meaning behind Columbus day with a solemn reminder of what happened to the Native Americans afterward.

    Having an Indigenous Peoples Day is something that I think should be done to commemorate the lives lost but also to educate people about the customs and lives of the first nation Peoples as well as the true story of what happened in 1492. Such as teaching about the trans-Atlantic slave trade plus all of the good stuff like how the indigenous people had all these crops (tobacco) that were so new and different from the ones in Europe or how they had a domesticated animal but not a written language. We could show in schools how they documented things with painting instead of a written language and overall make sure that people learn the truth.

    I would be interested in learning more about if our school board / local city/village governments officially celebrate Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Though I do know that Michigan does not celebrate Columbus day I am curious to know if we have an Indigenous Peoples Day celebration. If we feel strongly enough about this I do believe that in the case that we don’t have a day for the Indigenous people we should pitch the idea to make that happen and if many are in favor of that then we should make that day a national holiday. It is important that we make sure that we are celebrating our holidays for the right reasons and I feel as though making a holiday for the first nations people to celebrate all they have overcome and how they are now is in my eyes the right reason to have a holiday.
25. Kiera September 8, 2022 at 9:47 pm

    I think we should abolish Columbus Day because he is celebrated all around, especially in the US, when he never stepped foot in the US. I feel that our country should not celebrate a man who murdered and killed off so many Indigenous People. Even though many people are unaware of the things Columbus did to people it’s important to inform citizens about all of it to the best of our ability. Another thing I believe is that the school system should not be teaching children that Columbus was a good man. I believe this because growing up being told Columbus was the person who discovered the Americas and then later finding out he never came to the US and he killed a bunch of people, can be very misleading.
    I feel that taking away Columbus day to then replacing it with Indigenous Peoples day wouldn’t be fair. It wouldn’t be fair because it feels like the day wouldn’t completely be theirs. Lots of people would still bring up Columbus day instead of Indigenous Peoples Day. Whereas if there was a completely new day it would be more personal. Before any actions were taken I would suggest speaking to a group of Indigenous People because making any decisions to make sure they were comfortable with a new holiday.
    Talking to the school board would be beneficial because getting to know their take on getting rid of Columbus day would be a good thing to know, so if we did end up speaking to them we could make sure we say the correct things. If we went to the school board we could also mention what students in elementary school are getting taught, making sure there is no incorrect curriculum being taught. Speaking to local government officials about changing Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples day should be considered. I think it would be a good idea as long as we spoke to a few Indigenous people and got their thoughts on it before going straight to government officials.
26. Emily Kruntovski September 8, 2022 at 9:49 pm

    I think that we should keep Columbus day around as a national holiday, but change the meaning behind the day. Columbus day is a huge part of Italian American culture and I think that stripping away this holiday completely from their cultures is wrong. They found that when this holiday was announced they finally had a justified reason to be living in the Americas. I do believe the holiday should stay, but the meanings and teachings behind it need to be changed. I think that we should use this day to teach about the awful things Christopher Columbus did. On this holiday we should focus on the awful and unjust treatment of the Native Americans and the everlasting effects that the Europeans brought to these nations.

    I think that instead of changing Columbus day into Indigenous People’s Day, we should find a different day to celebrate the Indigenous people. I think that replacing the day that so many people honor as Columbus day would overshadow the new holiday and end up downplaying it when it should be important. I also think that making Indigenous People’s Day on the day Columbus used to be honored is disrespectful towards their nations because someone who treated them so disgustingly used to be honored on this day and to them he shouldn’t have ever had been. Making Indigenous People’s Day a new holiday on a new day will show how important their culture and lives are to the world and people.

    I personally would like to see if the school board honors Indigenous People’s Day or Columbus Day. I think that knowing this about our community is a very important thing that influences the way we look at the place we live. I also would like to see if the school board is open to discuss a change in what we do celebrate. I think that if they are up to change then an idea should be pitched about celebrating both Columbus Day and Indigenous People’s Day. I think that this will open a lot of positive viewpoints on our community and will help both Italian American cultures and Indigenous cultures grow in the area.
27. Emmanuel Scobie September 8, 2022 at 9:54 pm

    I have several ideas about changing or recreating Columbus Day as a whole. The big issue is that not enough people are educated on Columbus. That’s a depressing fact. Not enough people know about the tragedies that Columbus committed. Since the internet has so much power we could either hold a zoom meeting or google can put out something. We just need ways to tell people the truth, not the watered down version or the bologna of history textbooks. I think if people were actually knowledgeable about the things that Columbus did and the harm to the native Americans that their ways of thinking of Columbus will change.
    I have a feeling we should make a separate holiday, like one day for indigenous peoples day and one day for Christopher Columbus. Because even though Christopher Columbus was a horrible person and did bad things to many different people, he was also very important to Italians coming over to the Americas in the 1880’s. For the Italians he was a hero, someone who brought hope for them when they were being refused freedom. But making indigenous peoples day is really important, it would have so many positive impacts on the indigenous community, who have gone through so much pain, and their stories need to be heard.
    I am very interested in bringing this to a form of government. I Think it would be very beneficial to the indigenous community and people who truly know what terrible things Columbus did. Although I can understand if the people in our local/city/state government are resistant. Because this “holiday” has been around for so so long I can see why people believe the myths surrounding Columbus and with the (pardon my French) bullshit videos, articles, and books created about Columbus and shared with students at a young age I can see where the mind of the people in our government would go.
28. Camryn J September 8, 2022 at 10:00 pm

    Questions to consider: 1. 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?

    I think Columbus Day should be replaced with another day or even week focused acknowledging the colonization that has occurred on American soil. Instead of celebrating and praising Columbus, the opportunity could be taken to educate people on where our land comes from and the brutality it took for it to be taken over. This could be done in addition to having a separate Indigenous People’s day. In the “Lies My Teacher Told Me” reading, it states “American history books present Columbus pretty much without precedent, and they portray him as America’s first great hero. In so canonizing him, they reflect our national culture.” Continuing to have Columbus Day as a holiday in our country shows ignorance and no effort to do better going forward.

    2. Or do we pitch Columbus Day in favor of celebrating “Indigenous People’s Day”? Why? Or is there another option? If so, explain.

    I think Indigenous people deserve to have their own day instead of replacing what was once Columbus day. Indigenous people’s day could be used to give voice to Indigenous people alive today and share their culture and experience. I think Indigenous people having their own day gives more respect to them, rather than replacing Columbus day with it. Indigenous people’s could amplify the voices of those who have historically been overlooked, and give people a chance to share their culture and experiences without solely being attached to conversations of colonization and Columbus Day.

    3. Would you be interested in finding out if our school board / local city / village governments officially celebrate Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples’ Day? And should we – if we feel strongly enough about this – ask them to consider changing it? Why or why not?

    I would be interested in researching if the areas around us officially celebrate Columbus Day. Change starts with small steps and with the people around you. Working toward change in the areas immediately around us could have a ripple effect we would never imagine. I do think it would be important to consult with students near our area who are Indigenous, about what the right way to approach it is. Change on how Columbus and the holiday are perceived can start with the people learning about it right now. Students can change the narrative about Columbus and other events in history.

    Please use specific examples from the summer readings (and if you want to go down the Columbus rabbit hole, there’s a pdf in Schoology called Columbus Comparison – Shweikart vs. Zinn that compares a conservative historian’s and a Marxist professor’s take on Columbus).
29. Giovanni Baldini September 8, 2022 at 10:10 pm

    I believe that we should celebrate Columbus Day with a solemn reminder of what happened to the Native Americans. This way, those who strongly desire to celebrate Columbus Day can still celebrate Columbus Day, but those who feel the need that everyone must be educated on what he caused will also be happy. I feel this way because I think Columbus did do something brave, which was crossing the ocean not knowing what was on the other side, but as the book Lies My Teacher Told Me says, “ Christopher Columbus introduced two phenomena that revolutionized race relations and transformed the modern world: the taking of land, wealth, and labor from indigenous people in the Western Hemisphere, leading to their near extermination, and the transatlantic slave trade, which created a racial underclass.” These two topics are extremely important for everyone to know about, so history doesn’t repeat itself, and that Christopher Columbus really wasn’t heroic.

    I think, alongside the changes I’ve mentioned above, that we should also create Indigenous People’s Day. Not only would this add more reassurance that people would learn about what happened because of Christopher Columbus, but it would also shine more light on the fact that Native Americans were here first, and the U.S. is a stolen land from them. We could also learn more about their cultures as a whole.

    I would be interested in learning about what our village government considers this holiday. If they still consider it Columbus Day, I believe that we should add Indigenous People’s Day on a different date so we can bring attention to the Native Americans around us and their history. If this isn’t possible, then I think we should scrap Columbus Day entirely and replace it with Indigenous People’s Day, because in the end, bringing attention to the Native Americans is much more important than celebrating Columbus. If Columbus Day has already been replaced, I think we might as well keep it this way, because going through the hassle of passing a new holiday would not be worth the small percentage of people who celebrate it.
30. Ally O. September 8, 2022 at 10:34 pm

    In my opinion, Columbus day should be replaced by Indigenous Peoples Day. The horrific things he did in his life are why he does not deserve a holiday in his name. His day is celebrated for the wrong reasons and most are not educated on what truly happened when he “discovered” The Americas. His cruel actions toward the Indigenous people living on American soil before he arrived were sickening. More of the US population needs to be educated on not only the things Columbus wrongly did but also the many others who set foot and made marks in the Americas centuries before Columbus. The average person if stopped in the middle of the road would not know of the human-shaped heads carved from basalt in Mexico by the Africans and Phoenicians thousands of years ago. This fascinating information should be in most if not all US history textbooks as this information is crucial in knowing the people before us in the Americas.
    If Indigenous Peoples Day were to be celebrated in place of Columbus Day we could use this day to recognize and celebrate the indigenous people. The Indigenous people deserve at least a day to be recognized after we stole the land they had settled and made their homes on. The torture they were put through was cruel and unjust and giving Columbus a day of recognition is a disgrace to the natives. The slavery they went through needs to be known by more people. They are lost in the dust as they were enslaved throughout the civil war and no one was fighting for them. We must not forget or overlook the terrible faults that we as a country have put the indigenous people through and celebrate a person who took land he found in the most hostile way possible. Describing Columbus as a colonizer is a mistake that many have made, he helped “discover” land that had already been discovered many times before. His story is not told in the whole truth and his day should be used as an opportunity to give credit to the indigenous people that were mistreated and deserve better.
31. Gillian Erickson September 8, 2022 at 10:40 pm

    1. In my opinion I think we shouldn’t keep Columbus day as a federal holiday, it should be replaced with indigenous peoples day. Even though there is a bit to admire about Christopher Columbus, like how he achieved his goal of convincing King Ferdinand and queen Isabella to fund his voyages and supply him the three ships he took on the voyage, the Pinta, Santa Maria, and Nina. I believe that there are way more things not to admire about Columbus that positive aspects, The first reason that I believe that Columbus day should be replaced is the fact that he contributed major oppression and genocide toward Indigenous people. One example of this is that the chapter we read states the facts on how the Europeans brought many types of disease and famine which contributed to the wipe out of some native tribes. Not only did the Europeans harm the natives with things they brought over they also killed at least 80% causing genocide towards the natives. Many people before us were taught wrong or sugar coated facts about the discovery of the “new world” which is another reason I don’t believe we should be celebrating a holiday taught full of lies.

    2. I think that Indigenous peoples day should be a federal holiday not as a replacement for Columbus day but a way for people to recognize the wrong things Columbus and the Europeans did to many native tribes and mourn the loss of native people that were wrongly harmed. I believe that people that support Columbus like many Italians should have the option to celebrate Columbus day but just not as a federal holiday.

    3. Personally I think that I wouldn’t be too interested in researching weather or not my school’s board / local city / village governments because without doing research I know that in past years Columbus day has been celebrated around this area and I don’t have a say on what school boards have to say. I would like to know if places are working on changing things with Columbus day or if nothing really is changing currently.
32. Will Dabish September 8, 2022 at 10:44 pm

    1. If we were to keep Columbus Day around, we should at least add a reminder of his wrongdoings. His treatment of natives was abhorrent, he revolutionized the trade of slaves, and was falsely declared as “the first person to find the American continent” when he just wasn’t. He didn’t even discover the North American continent! Especially for kids, letting them know Columbus wasn’t the first one here and how he wasn’t a good person at all is important to get into the minds of young kids early, so they’re familiar with the true history of his “findings.” Since he’s such a hyped up figure in their history classes, letting them know he’s not all he’s hyped up to be is very important. In fact, we should just change the curriculum of the younger students to include at least some of the wrongdoings of Columbus.
    2. This is my preferred option – the indigenous people were (and honestly, still are) incredibly mistreated in society. The fact that one of the most hyped up American figures blatantly mistreated our native people and created a good chunk of our political problems via the transatlantic slave trade is pathetic. The indigenous people of our country deserve at least one big day in the year to, well, acknowledge their existence. Yes, there’s Native American’s Month, but let’s be honest – when’s the last time someone’s mentioned that before this discussion? Never? Yeah, I thought so. Since Columbus Day (and Indigenous People’s Day) are generally celebrated throughout the country or locally (depending on what you celebrate), it’s important to have that changes throughout the country to actually acknowledge the facts about the natives and Columbus.
    3. If we still celebrate Columbus Day locally, we should ask them to change it. I believe it’s important that we change the celebration to locally acknowledge the natives in our area, and changing the celebration would be a HUGE step in the right direction into making native history more apparent.
33. Sanuthi W September 8, 2022 at 10:47 pm

    I believe Columbus Day should be completely abolished because it’s wrong to celebrate someone who’s story is built on myths and lies and also massacred hundreds of thousands of Indigenous folx for his benefit. Because of everything he’s done, it’s caused harmful stereotypes and horrible misinformation onto the Indigenous people and future generations will continue to celebrate him if we keep the “holiday”. There isn’t an important reason to have the holiday besides the fact that he was only there since the Italians believed he came to the Americas as an Italian immigrant (which as we know is fake news). Replacing/removing Columbus day and having an Indigenous People’s Day would be the best possible solution since we could use it to celebrate Indigenous history and honor them. If we have to keep the day, make Columbus Day a day of grief in honor of the Indigenous people who were massacred, murdered, and had their culture and families taken away from them because of a selfish, greedy, white guy who literally caused the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. Ignoring all of this because “it’s an important day in history” even though its misinformation is incredibly selfish to the Indigenous community.

    Separating the holidays and making a day to celebrate Italian heritage and culture and also one for the Indigenous community would help support both communities. Both communities have helped America and both deserve to be celebrated and mourned in a way that isn’t offending and hurting one or the other. At the least, we should educate our future generations about the Indegenious community without putting racist stereotypes and misinformation about them and also explain both sides of the stories.

    I would like to see if the school board would be open to abolishing Columbus Day and replacing it with holidays that support both the Indigenous and Italian community. I personally will continue to recognize Indigenous People’s day and acknowledge that this isn’t my land and support the Indigenous community the best I can.
34. Luci Kucab September 8, 2022 at 10:48 pm

    I think we shouldn’t continue to celebrate Columbus day the way we do now. Columbus day is generally recognized as a day to celebrate one man/ expedition who discovered America. While many accounts of his journey are untrue and biased there is also information coming out that others may have discovered it before him. “To tell about earlier explorers, textbook authors would have to familiarize themselves with sources such as those cited in the three preceding notes. It’s easier just to retell the old familiar Columbus story” (Lowen 62). I believe we should use this day as a solemn reminder and to bring awareness to the mistreatment towards the Indian community. Instead of worrying about exposing young kids to the harsh reality of what he did to Indians, we should only introduce it to them when they are ready and able to comprehend. Introducing Columbus as a good and bad guy from a young age will only cause confusion and make it more difficult to separate fact from fiction.

    Because indigenous people month is November I think that instead of just using Columbus Day for indigenous peoples day it should be used to bring more awareness for the month that should be more celebrated. I know many people in my hour including myself did not know that this month was for them so by getting rid of Columbus Day and sharing the real story it might help to give more attention towards the Indigenous people. We could use this month to educate young children more about their cultures and traditions as well.

    I think that instead of just going and finding out if they celebrate it or not it might be more important to educate them first so those on the board understand where we’re coming from. With that information in mind we will be able to ask them how they now feel about the situation and what actions we could take in order to honor the indigenous people more. Honestly I believe that before we just try and tell everyone that Columbus Day is bad and shouldn’t be celebrated, our first step should be to educate people the same way we were educated in this class. That way everyone would have an understanding about the events that actually occurred.
35. Zack S September 8, 2022 at 10:56 pm

    I think Columbus Day should be modified in a way that acknowledges the suffering of indigenous people. Columbus Day, one of ten federally recognized holidays, traditionally is devoted to celebrating Christopher Columbus and his discovery of the West Indies. Many people question why a U.S. holiday is dedicated to a man responsible for the death of millions of native americans. Columbus didn’t even set foot in North America. The main reason Columbus Day should be kept has less to do with Columbus and more to do with the Italian-American community. When Italians first came to the United States, they were heavily shunned. They idolized Columbus, as he was an accomplished and widely recognized Italian. Columbus became a very important figure to the Italian-American community. To this day, Italian Americans still embrace Columbus as an important part of their heritage. For this reason, entirely erasing Columbus day would be extremely controversial. Instead, we should alter Columbus Day to better educate people on his discovery of the Americas and the detrimental effects it had on Native Americans. In my opinion, this is an obvious decision. It is wrong to continue blindly celebrating a flawed man just for the sake of it.

    Ignoring Columbus day entirely would make no sense. Columbus’s discovery is a landmark event in our history, even if it is a commonly misconceived topic. Replacing it with Native Peoples’ Day would only cause more contention. Removing Columbus day simply won’t accomplish anything. Modifying Columbus day to encompass the persecution of Native Americans as a result of European influence would provide a way for the proper history to be taught.

    Personally, I would like to find out whether or not our school board, city, and local government formally celebrate Columbus Day. I wouldn’t be interested in trying to get them to change it. I simply don’t think I am well versed enough in this topic to influence any major decisions. I don’t know what exactly a hybrid “Columbus-Indian” holiday would look like. It would make more sense for an actual Native American person to propose a change such as this.
36. Sebastian September 8, 2022 at 11:07 pm

    I think we should modify Columbus day and add indigenous peoples day. Columbus day should be modified to American explorers day of some sorts. Columbus day celebrates Christopher Columbus discovering the americas and all of the wonderful things he did for the world but this leaves out many key details. Columbus was not the first to discover the americas, the vikings and africans were there hundreds of years before him. When Columbus went to the americas he treated the natives like lesser people and enslaved them. For these reasons, I think Columbus should not be given all of the credit and praise that Columbus day celebrates. Columbus day should be switched to american explorers day and celebrate all of the explorers that come to the americas to show that columbus was a horrible person and should not be celebrated.
    Indigenous peoples day should be added as a national holiday to remember and recognise the people who were here before us and still live in America to this day. Adding Indigenous people day would also show the bad side of Columbus and other explorers that exploited and stole from the Indigenous people when they came here. I think it would also be beneficial to ask some native americans in our society today what they what for a holiday or how they think the’re land and people should be remembered.
    Some people say that Columbus day should be kept because Columbus represents the Italian community but why would the italian community in america want a person who enslaved natives and stole their land. Others say we should keep Columbus day because of his legacy and what he did for the world. It is true that Columbus spread the news of the americas and he did start a whole new era in history but other explorers would have found the Americas if Columbus hadn’t. So why should a cruel and twisted man be celebrated but not also hated.
    Overall I think the best solution to make the most amount of people satisfied is to modify Columbus day to American explorers day to not give Columbus the credit of discovering the Americas and recognise that he was an awful man and add Indigenous peoples day to recognise the Indigenous people in our country and their ancestors land.
37. Ireland K. September 8, 2022 at 11:11 pm

    (1) I personally think that we should completely get rid of Columbus Day. Instead, I think we should turn it into a day of recognition and celebration of Indigenous people and Indigenous culture. Indigenous Day should replace Columbus Day, a day that continues to celebrate a person who was directly responsible for genocide, suffering, and torture on thousands of Native Americans. Columbus Day tends to be a very controversial holiday and tends to have a very prejudice and disrespectful undertone. I think that celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day rather than Columbus Day would help pay some respect to the Indigenous People of America and all their heroic actions. From their helpful roles in the survival of the settlers when they first arrived in Americas, and the fact that they had/have to deal with oppression and genocide targeted at them for centuries, as well as their ability to practice sustainability and preserve natural ecosystems from pollution and destruction in past times and still to this present day.

    (2) Personally I think that we should completely get ride of Columbus Day. But if we had to compromise in a way I would say to try and make a holiday or two separate holidays that would celebrate both Native and Italian Roots. Also I would make sure to include helping educate people about Columbus’ legacy both good and the bad. This would help pay respect and attention to both of these cultures and would help to educate people on the importance of this history.

    (3) I would be curious to find out if our school board or any higher power would officially get rid of or change Columbus Day or just completely turn it into Indigenous People’s Day. If I were to state one reason that Columbus Day should be removed I would say he never stepped foot on U.S. soil, instead he landed in South and Central American and the Caribbean. He also enslaved, murdered, and he also caused diseases to spread within the Americas. Columbus Day is also a commercialized Federal holiday, that we continue to allow to be celebrated. We then continue to raise and educate the younger generations of Americans to believe Christopher Columbus falsely ‘discovered’ America. Columbus Day should be replaced to observe Indigenous People’s so our younger generations can be taught how to respect native groups and to continue to preserve their culture and history.
38. Spencer George September 8, 2022 at 11:29 pm

    I believe that our government should make the change away from what is now Columbus day. Looking at the countless crimes that Christopher Columbus has commited on the indigenous people of the land that he “discovered”, we shouldn’t have even adopted this holiday in the first place. With new information about the man coming out left and right, we can see that Columbus really was a terrible person. He killed and enslaved countless indienous people all while we have an entire day named after him. Christopher Columbus should not have a national holiday named after him when he had never even set foot in America either. Columbus really only ever landed on islands surrounding South America.

    If the United States government were to switch Columbus day from what it is now, I think that it should be with some sort of day that gives recognition to the atrocities that the indigenous people were put through. Having an official nation wide holliday to recognize Columbus even after all of the information that has come out in recent years is not acceptable. After only a little bit of research one can find out the horrors that Columbus did and nobody should be defending a day named after him. What is now Columbus day should be switched to an Indigenous peoples day. It is very important to recognize the crimes that were commited against indigenous people when Europeans first arrived on this land.

    I think that researching and acting upon switching this day over is important. I believe this because too many people are still fed misinformation from an early age about the actual crimes that were commited by columbus. Kids in school still being taught a curriculum that promotes that ideas of a great Christopher Columbus discovering America pioneering everything that we can see today is terrible. If not already done, we should be pushing to overturn Columbus day into Indigenous people day. Starting to inform people about the real happenings of these trips starts with taking away all of these Columbus hero stories that we are taught and replaced them with reality.
39. Sabrina September 8, 2022 at 11:29 pm

    I think we should combine the idea to keep Columbus day and just change the meaning, and the idea to change it to Indigenous People’s Day. I think that eradicating the whole holiday would just be like trying to erase the bad things Columbus did when they’re still a big part of our history and should be acknowledged, but I also think that we should not keep the holiday as it is since he did so many bad things. Also, the text for the summer readings claimed that information about Columbus’s voyages tend to be unreliable, and it also mentioned some evidence that other explorers had actually been to the Americas many years before Columbus did. The summer reading text and other sources we have looked at the past couple of days have also mentioned the mistreatment of Indigenous people, and the slavery they were forced into. They also specifically mentioned Columbus’s involvement in it. Should we really be celebrating someone like that?

    I think that along with that, though, we should have Indigenous People’s Day to commemorate the contribution Natives make within our country and to teach everyone about the extreme suffering they have faced since it is not often talked about. I think that this should be in combination with the new concepts of Columbus day, as it is also important to recognize these people.

    I would be interested in finding out if our county recognizes Columbus day, and how they teach about it in schools. I remember learning about Columbus when I was in elementary school and at some points, they seemed to treat him as a hero, but not always. I remember being confused since we learned everything about Columbus being the first person to reach the Americas, yet in fifth grade I had to do a project on Leif Erikson, a Viking who reached the Americas around the year 1000. I think they should change it, at least in changing the way they teach about it. I don’t think enough people would agree to change it to Indigenous People’s Day, but I think many would agree that we shouldn’t just teach about the good things Columbus did.
40. Noel Borgquist September 8, 2022 at 11:47 pm

    I think that there needs to be either many changes made to Columbus day, or the complete abolishment of the Holiday. In our country we put people on a pedestal, and give them this kind of holiness when we name a holiday after them. It feels very disingenuous to place Columbus on this same level, when in reality he was a very bad person. Now obviously, all people have their flaws, but to be the direct cause of hundreds of years of suffering for Native Peoples. Also, he indirectly / directly caused the need for slavery in Europe, which lead to the enslavement of millions of people, whether it be Native American, African, or any other. I think that it would be in poor taste to keep such a person on that pedestal, and continue to celebrate what he did. I personally think that we should completely abolish the holiday. Instead of having Columbus Day, we should have Indigenous peoples day. I personally would have it so that we would take the day to educate everyone on what Native Culture is all about. In school, we are always told about Columbus, and how great of an explorer he was. The older we get, we get a wider lens as to the kind of person he was, and the things that he did to the people who originally lived in the land we now live on. I think that if you were to keep Columbus day as a holiday, It should be much more about his flaws, than how he is such a great person. Like we heard in class, it should follow along on a day of grief, and to honor those who lost their lives, and were horrendously treated for hundreds of years. It should highlight the terrible things he did, and not plant this seed of a “great explorer” in our children and young generations. Obviously we cannot tell 3rd graders about what Columbus did, but it is really wrong to have this idea of greatness when people discuss Columbus. It makes it harder to accept that he was a bad person when we have him put on that pedestal in our brains. I think that we should make a better effort to acknowledge that Columbus was not the first to get to the Americas.

    Also, I think that it is important that we discuss things like from the summer reading, when there was reasonable evidence to suggest that Africans and Phoenicians had made it as far as the Atlantic coast of Mexico. In schools, we never learn of things like this. I think that it would be interesting that if we were to keep Columbus day as a holiday, these are the kind of wings that we should learn on Columbus day, or whatever the renamed Holiday would be. It would also be great, if we could realize the negative affects that Columbus had on the World, such as the start for the need of slavery, and the enslavement of Indigenous peoples. Overall, I think that we should either completely abolish Columbus day, or have a more educational angle taken on the day. Learning about the after affects on the world beyond just colonization, and not have this fake seed of greatness from Columbus planted in our brains so early.
41. india September 9, 2022 at 7:45 am

    I believe that Columbus day was created to celebrate a lie, which we still celebrate even after knowing what Columbus has done to the indigenous. I fully believe that Columbus day if kept should teach children the truth about what really happened to the indigenous people who lived here before and how they were treated and how they were pushed into a whole new way of living from religion to where they live. Columbus day should have never been invented even if Columbus “founded” America there have been so others who stepped foot on American soil before Columbus was even born, example: before the 1400ths a Viking named Erik the Red had stepped foot on the southern area of Greenland when Columbus only “founded” America by 1492, but no ones celebrating the Vikings for doing exactly what Columbus did except many years earlier.
    If we change the day to indigenous peoples day we can properly educate children about what the indigenous culture is really like and not the lies many have already been told if they have a religion, traditions, songs, dances, and the hardships of being a part of the indigenous culture and what they have to go through and what did their ancestors did too, and commemorate the ones who passed and the tribes which have been forcefully disbanded. And if not indigenous day then Columbus day should disappear and be replaced with settlers day, which is a day to commemorate all who have taken a walk on this soil. This day will celebrate the ones who have lived and founded before us and teach children about who has come before us and why, where, when, and what each settler brought to the old America to create something new.
    I think that if the city board/local city or government can replace Columbus day with either indigenous peoples day or change the day to teaching kids about what really happened., I think it will be better for every child who is forced to learn about Columbus to learn the truth and grow up with the truth about Columbus.
42. Sammie Koch September 9, 2022 at 8:33 am

    I believe that we should get rid of Christopher Columbus day because he did not do a whole lot of good in his lifetime. Columbus’ alleged discoveries, were not actually discoveries. Instead, on Columbus day we are celebrating and commemorating the enslavement and mass murdering of the Indians Columbus encountered when he ventured to the Americas. Columbus thought he was a great explorer and other Europeans believed the same, which is the reason he has his own holiday. Columbus day, along with Marten Luther King JR. Day are the only two national holidays observed in America that are based on a single person. Personally I believe MLK’s Words of Empowerment and his incredible movements and speeches are way more entitled to be commemorated than Christopher Columbus’ only accomplishment of convincing people the world is round and not flat.

    If we were to keep Columbus day, It should be altered and instead be named Indigenous People’s Day. This is because, Instead of honoring the mass murder and kidnapping of Indians that Christopher Columbus led and participated in. We should instead be honoring those who’s live were ripped away by this tyrant of a White man. We should be honoring those who were forced into slavery, and those who were killed, and those who’s children were even killed.

    I believe we, as the APUSH students of Groves, should attempt at convincing the School boards and governments around us to Change their 5th grade social study’s curriculum from Praising Christopher Columbus to instead, acknowledging the hardships the Indians faced at the hands of the entitled selfish Europeans. People need to make it known that Columbus was a terrible person and we should not be rewarding what happened during his lifetime. We should have it be known what actually happened in 1492 when Columbus sailed the ocean blue.
43. Christina J September 9, 2022 at 9:02 am

    I think that we should eliminate columbus day and replace it with Indigeous people’s day. If we do this, we’ll make the statement that as Ameirca moves forward, we need to get rid of the old and come out with the new, and awcknowledge the fact that Indegenous people are still here, and recognize everything that they went through.
    When we do celebrate Indegenous peoples day, we should make it a day where people learn about how terrible Columbus was, but also recognize that he’s the reason why the world is the way it is today. But schools should also teach about the Indegenous on that day, instead of spending the entire time teaching about Columbus. We should go in depth about their mistreatment, yes, but also celebrate them and their culture. We should have a moment of silence for the deaths, and the bloodshed, and just keep thinking about everything that happened.
    Yes, I think that we should get other states and cities celebrate Indegenous peoples day. It’s important that we recognize the lives that were lost, and that we make their struggle known. It would be interesting to know how many cities around us celebrate Indegenous people’s day, and why they haven’t if they don’t.
44. Ray Glory-Ejoyokah September 9, 2022 at 9:58 am

    I do not believe Columbus Day should be left the way it is as a Holiday. I feel that on the date the holiday takes place, should be turned into a day for recognizing the Natives and how they were treated by Columbus.

    I am on board with the idea that we should pitch Columbus Day in favor of celebrating “Indigenous People’s Day”. I think it would be interesting to maybe even pitch a week in which we talk about the history of the people who were living in the North America prior to Columbus’ arrival. During that week, we should also speak on and learn about the crimes and atrocities Columbus and other explorers who came to the Americas inflicted on the Native Americans. Such as how As soon as the 1493 expedition got to the Caribbean, before it even reached Haiti, Columbus was rewarding his lieutenants with native women to rape. Also, how, Beyond acts of individual cruelty, the Spanish disrupted the Native ecosystem and culture. Forcing Indians to work in mines rather than in their gardens led to widespread malnutrition.

    I would be interested in finding out if our school board/ local city / village governments officially celebrate Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples’ Day. I feel if Columbus is still labeled a holiday, it should be changed. Furthermore, I believe that it would just be disrespectful to the natives if we let a person who caused their people years of harm and suffering to be celebrated as a hero. It would be Just and would make sense to give the Natives a day when their history is celebrated, and the horrible things that were inflicted upon them to be brought into the spotlight. I believe that it would be the bare minimum to do this for them.
45. Sofia Marx September 9, 2022 at 10:03 am

    I strongly believe that we should abolish Columbus day as a national holiday. The entire reason we dedicated a national holiday to Christopher Columbus was to celebrate him. There is no possible way to keep Columbus day as a national holiday without the constant reminder that we’re supposed to be “celebrating” him. As it is, all American history textbooks hold many fallacies, and a majority of them regurgitate the same false information about Columbus. They canonize him, and that isn’t something that can be changed nationally if Columbus Day remains a federal holiday. Government offices close on that day to recognize and celebrate Columbus on a federal level. If we do keep Columbus day, it needs to be taken down from its federal level, and we need to dedicate that day to the recognition of Indigenous people, as well as the acknowledgement of all of the cruel things that colonizers did to them. On top of that, we need to acknowledge the fact that we have not even come close to attempting to repair the damage done by our ancestors. Additionally, we should review that the extremely limited resources we have given them on the land that we stole from them is absurd, and we should recognize what changes we can make to at the very least attempt to repair damages that will never truly be repairable.

    As for replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous People’s Day, I don’t think that it’s a bad idea, but I think if we choose to do that, the day should be dedicated to the education of what really happened with Columbus and Indigenous people, rather than spending that day appreciating their culture. Indigenous culture is a topic that a majority of Americans are either completely uneducated about or severely lacking education on, but I don’t think we should learn about that on what used to be Columbus Day. It comes off as disrespectful that they would share such a day with Christopher Columbus. We have a month set aside to the heritage of Native Culture, however this is significantly underrecognized, and most people don’t even know what month it is. (Spoiler, it’s November!) To recap, we should celebrate and be educated on Indigenous culture during November, and learn about what Europeans did to them on Indigenous People’s day.

    As for taking this issue to a higher authority, I definitely would be interested in that. If they do celebrate Columbus Day, we should ask them to consider changing it. It’s always good to stand up for things you believe in, and in this case, there is no reason not to. Celebrating Columbus Day is highly immoral, and just flat out wrong. It isn’t just unfair to Native Americans, but it holds us back in history, and continues to impose unfair biases on young children. We shouldn’t sit around, waiting for a change to happen. If we’re passionate about it, then we should create that change.
46. Kaii M September 9, 2022 at 10:24 am

    I think that we should keep Columbus day but not the same way it is. Instead of glorifying him make it into a day of remembrance and sorrow, whilst also celebrating the lives that were tragically lost in the genocide upon Columbus’s arrival. I also think we should change the name because it can be considered derogatory, inconsiderate, and disrespectful of the native people to this land. We should definitely still remember everything that he did and bring it to light, teaching the younger generations the truth about him and everything that he did on the soils they live on. The stories of the natives have been so far lost over the years and they will only continue to until they are completely gone and forgotten for no one to remember them. It also seems unfair and a bit stupid in a sense to celebrate someone “discovering” a new country when they didn’t even make it on the actual land in the first place, as well as ignoring the people who resided here and voyaged out to it centuries before Columbus. I can understand why many may be upset about it, mainly Italians because they had no figure to look up to in the times when they were first immigrating to America. They knew Christopher Columbus was Italian so they resonated with him and looked up to him, which is why I think we should keep it as a remembrance day for them but we can’t just completely ignore everything he has done for the sake and pride of juts one group.
    I think this is the best option because it helps bring awareness to the situation of the native Americans while also trying to pay reparations in a sense by actually acknowledging them instead of just keeping them in the shadows like America has in the past by covering up lots of other things, a lot I’m sure have yet to be uncovered. I am interested in finding out if in our district or state if we have started to officially recognize Columbus day as now Indigenous Peoples’ Day. I feel strongly that we should replace Columbus day in Michigan because of how high our population of Native Americans is within the state.
47. Avery Betts September 9, 2022 at 10:30 am

    I think that while Christopher Columbus did terrible things, his impact should still be acknowledged, as he is still an important part of American history. Although, a holiday dedicated to him seems a bit much, and honestly quite offensive considering everything he did with the lands he reached, so many modifications are in order. Rather than something dedicated to Columbus, I think a different kind of day should be established, one where instead of learning about Columbus, people learn and research about how the Americas came to be noticed by the rest of the world, from learning about Native American culture, to at least mentioning other explorers and what they did -like the Vikings, Africans, and all the other peoples who found the Americas first- to Columbus and why his travels were the most influential, to what came after, with the enslavement of Native Americans. Of course, it would be a little watered down for the young elementary students, and get more advanced in its descriptions as you move up through the grades, mentioning in greater detail why Columbus’s exploration was spread the furthest and how incredibly drastic the changes were after his “discovery”, but there should be a conscious effort not to spread misinformation by retelling the myth of Columbus as is. In addition, there should be a new holiday, Indigenous People’s Day. Rather than replacing Columbus day with it, IDP should be on a separate day, and specifically focus on the culture of indigenous people and their mistreatment. It would be disrespectful in my opinion to make this day be celebrated on the day where quite frankly, it all started to come crashing down for the Native Americans with the invasion of Europeans that would gradually enslave many, many thousands of people and wipe out so many more. It would serve as a day of remembrance for the people whose homes, cultures, and lives were brutally ripped away from them, and remind people further of the other half of Columbus’s legacy. It’s definitely worth a change from Columbus Day to a new thing and Indigenous People, and should at least be considered.
48. Bella Ruggirello September 9, 2022 at 10:34 am

    I believe that we should keep Columbus day and have a separate day for indigenous people. This day would teach people about indigenous culture and not have anything to do with Columbus at all. Because Columbus didn’t do a ton of good in his life. I believe this holiday was created to celebrate a lie. Now, Columbus day celebrates Christopher Columbus “discovering the new world” but it leaves out many key details. Columbus never set foot on American land. There are a couple things to celebrate about Columbus, such as convincing King Ferdinand and queen Isabella to supply his voyages and give him three ships to sail on. I believe that there are many more things to dislike about Columbus that are not presented in textbooks and aren’t taught in school, like, the fact that he contributed terrible oppression and genocide toward Indigenous people. There were also many diseases and famine brought over by the Europeans. Those diseases and famine wiped out a lot of the native tribes. Not only did the Europeans harm the natives with things they brought over they also killed at least 80% of the natives causing genocide towards the natives. The European voyages were not a good discovery, they all were a mass genocide based on greed and racism. I don’t think we should replace Columbus Day with Indigenous peoples day. In place of it, I think that we should make an Indigenous people’s day on a separate day because I think they should have their own day meant to educate and celebrate people about Indigenous culture. I think it should have nothing to do with Christopher Columbus because he should not be celebrated any more. I also think we should keep Columbus day not to celebrate him, but to teach people about what he did. We especially need to teach kids in school about what he did so they Are not told false information all of their lives. It’s important that people know the truth so they aren’t celebrating something they shouldn’t.
49. Christian Pearson September 9, 2022 at 10:54 am

    1. I think we change the name “Columbus Day” into something that will be able to spread awareness of what Columbus did to the natives, but also give props for helping pave the way for exploration I would prefer to celebrate. Indigenous Peoples Day. We would appear to endorse him and his acts if we kept Columbus Day. We live in an age where we have seen change on a national scale. An example would be with the newly named Washington Commanders of the NFL. The challenge of changing the name was extremely difficult and drawn out.

    2.Personally, I think we should totally get rid of Columbus day. I know that some Americans would not agree with that so we should do something that is in the interest of both parties. However, it’s also crucial to consider the Italian Americans who exploited Columbus to demonstrate their American citizenship. Then, even though it could be challenging, we might add a different official holiday just for Italian Americans that is not related to Columbus; this would be preferable to a different Columbus Day. we also do need natives to be heard on what happened to them because of Columbus change is needed.

    3. I personally want to know if Columbus Day is officially observed by our school board, city, and local government. I wouldn’t be interested in making an effort to convince them to alter it. Simply put, I don’t believe I know enough about this subject to have much of an impact. I’m not sure what a hybrid “Columbus-Indian” vacation might include. A true Native American would be more suited to make such a change, in my opinion. I do know that Governor Whitmer has installed Indigenous people’s days. I don’t know much more aside from that. I would love to learn more about it though.
50. Nate Hidalgo September 9, 2022 at 10:55 am

    I think we change it to Indigineous Peoples day, but keep it on the day that Columbus day falls on. I think it could act as the Indigious people taking back the day. It could be a day of acknowledging the people who were driven off their land. Schools could teach what Columbus actually did, and teach the history of the Indiginous people who were driven off their land. I don’t think we should stop teaching about Columbus. Whether we like it or not he is a part of American history. Not teaching history because it makes people uncomfortable is how the history of the Indiginous people got overlooked. I definitely don’t think we should keep the holiday. I acknowledge that Italian Americans celebrate the holiday because he’s an Italian who is a part of American history, but we can’t ignore the atrocities committed by him. Cristopher Columbus started the African slave trade, and enslaved the indigious population. In the summer reading we also learn that there are reports of him “hunting” the Indiginous people. They treated them worse than animals. Celebrating the man that treated the Indiginous people as if they weren’t human, should never be celebrated. Even celebrating both Columbus day and Indiginous Peoples day on either different days, or on the same day makes no sense. I think that teaching Columbus’s story is essential, because it is a part of our history, but giving him a holiday is crazy. I would be very interested to see if Columbus day is on the BPS calendar. If so, I think it would be a good idea to email them and ask if we could change it to Indiginous peoples day. At the very least I think they could have both Columbus day and Indiginous peoples day listed on the calendar.