Essay On Columbus Day

Christopher Columbus is arguably one of the most famous performers of all time. He discovered the Caribbean Islands, Hispaniola(modern day Haiti and the Dominican Republic), Jamaica, Cuba, and parts of Central America and northern South America. During the second Monday in October, Americans from coast to coast celebrate Columbus’s arrival in the Americas. However, does Columbus really deserve a holiday? Is he really the hero elementary school textbooks paint him to be? Historical evidence points to no. Columbus went from island to island capturing(The Interiors, 1996)the indigenous people who resided there. He even wrote this about the Native Americans in a log book: “They would make fine servants…with fifty mean we could subjugate (overpower)

Almost every state and school use to celebrate this national holiday; Columbus Day. Sadly, people around the country have decided that Columbus Day should no longer have his own holiday. Schools, and many Columbus Day parades have decided to cancel their parades and schools no longer have a ¨Columbus Day¨. Still people think Columbus was a brave good man, while others believe he was a terrible soul that’s greedy and cruel.

Above: A painting of the Battle of Puebla, which took place in the Second French Intervention of Mexico (hereinafter called the Second French Intervention). Unknown Name, Public Domain. Further information found in bibliography.

The world has glorified many historical people especially early explorers. One such explorer is Christopher Columbus. Historians have discovered that perhaps Columbus Was given honor prematurely.

In October of 1492, Portuguese explorer Christopher Columbus landed by ship in the “New World” which is today known as the Americas. Many people believe the holiday that honors him annually in October has great meaning behind it. However, I believe Columbus day should not be celebrated. Christopher Columbus was not the first person ever to discover the Americas, he abused natives on their own land, and the holiday isn’t celebrated in the way it should be.

There are many opinions about Columbus Day and whether we should celebrate it as a holiday. I believe the extent in which we should celebrate Columbus Day is just acknowledging him rather than dedicating a federal holiday to him. I would propose to celebrate “Indigenous People’s Day” or “Native Americans’ Day”. My opinion comes from his actual discovery of th New World and his actions after he settled in North America.

There is much controversy with this holiday, not only in the United States, but also in other countries that

Americans celebrate so many holidays and enjoy their days off without truly knowing the history behind the events leading up to the creation of these “sacred” days. Elementary school students all around America learn the rhyme “in 1492 Columbus sailed the Ocean blue” and celebrate his “discovery” of America. Columbus Day has been celebrated for two hundred years. Although the American population does not know all the details about Columbus. He was a greedy person and essentially started slavery in the United States. People should not celebrate Columbus Day because Christopher Columbus is not the heroic and courageous man many believe him to be.

The relationships between the three major settlers and the Native Americans differed in many ways. All the evidence needed is in the seven documents shown. Each of the documents provides insight to one of the three nationalities. It is fair to assume that the English were focused more on friendship, the Spanish set their eyes on the gold, and the French were insistent on converting the Native Americans to Christianity.

Before Europeans came to North America, It was populated by many different tribes of Indigenous peoples. These tribes, for the most part had their own political, economic, and military systems that were eventually changed and manipulated because of the invading nations. In the books A land so Strange and Jacksonland, we see through the eyes of Cabeza de Vaca and Andrew Jackson exactly how Indigenous people were at the very beginning, and the changes they had to undertake. Obviously the books show us the view of the Europeans rather than the Indigenous people themselves, but in certain recollections from people like John Ross we see their viewpoints and why they did certain things. From the information presented in both these books, it’s clear

It’s not a coincidence that every year on the second Monday of October, students have a day off from school. That day is used to commemorate Christopher Columbus’s arrival to the Americas. Christopher Columbus and many other explores departed from Europe seeking to discover new land. This time in history became know as the Age of Exploration. Historians debate whether the Age of Exploration is as great as it is said to be. There were several downsides to the Age of Exploration. This time period in history should clearly be remembered, but not celebrated due diseases that traveled and killed millions, and the unfair treatment of native peoples.

Every year on the second Monday of October America celebrates one of its oldest “patriotic” holidays, Columbus Day. Columbus Day is a day to commemorate the discovery of the Western World by Christopher Columbus. Columbus landed in the New World on October 2, 1492 and is ultimately credited with and remembered for discovering the Americas. The United States of America, itself, has always been comprised of immensely patriotic citizens making it no surprise that the so called discoverer of such a beloved country has a holiday dedicated to him. The idea of a holiday for the man who ‘found’ the ‘New World’ from afar, does not seem all that unusual. However, when one begins to understand the kind of man Columbus really was,

The United States admires Christopher Columbus for the things people think he did, but his “accomplishments” and “discoveries” may have been false. Columbus day should not be celebrated because he didn’t do the things he said he did, he did terrible things, and he caused problems to happen. Christopher Columbus didn’t do the things he said he did like discovering America, having knowledge, and he never actually meant to find the Americas. Columbus did terrible things such as encouraging men to rape girls, having harsh punishments for people with minor offenses, and he lead hunting dogs to tear the Indians apart. He caused many problems like death, slavery, and destroying culture.

It is a day that is set aside to remember and honor those who have died, according to the University of New Mexico. That day represents the day before Lent and is celebrated as well. Another notable day is September 16th, which marks Cinco de Mayo the day the Mexican Military had a victory over the French in 1862. Cinco de Mayo is also celebrated in the United States more than it is in Mexico.

Evidence: “When resistance mounted a to the Spaniards’ violence, Columbus sent an armed force to ‘spread terror among the Indians to show them how strong and powerful the Christians were,’ according to the Spanish priest Bartolome de las Casas” (Huffington Post).