Angel Cordova
3 November 2017
Essay 3
Word Count: 1,209
The New Light
The federal holiday, Columbus Day, has brought about its own uniqueness amongst many Americans. Generations of schoolchildren were instructed to read or watch videos that claimed Columbus was the founder of America. He was known as an explorer, navigator, and a colonizer. Now, Christopher Columbus is no longer portrayed as the hero he once was. Over many years, there has been a series of stories told by others, and a proof of documentation found to reveal information about his life, famous voyages, and the multicultural movement.
The birthday of Christopher Columbus remains unknown to this day. He was presumed born between August 26 and October 31, 1451, in Genoa, Italy (Flint). In his thirties, when his ship was wrecked, he managed to grab a wooden oar and reach the shore in Portugal (Cavendish). He returned to Spain in 1504 after his last voyage (Cavendish). Columbus had been arrested years prior to accusations of tyranny and brutality toward native peoples of the Americas. But he was released by King Ferdinand after six weeks in prison. He was subsequently denied most of the profits of his discoveries promised to him by Ferdinand and Queen Isabella (Wanjek). Columbus was fifty-three and in deprived well-being. He was living comfortably, economically speaking, in an apartment in Valladolid, Crown of Castile, in present-day Spain, albeit in pain from severe arthritis (Wanjek). He is now suspected to
In the United States, there are many holidays that are celebrated by its citizens. Some of these holidays consist of individuals taking the day off from work and school, such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Year’s Day. During these days off, individuals have the chance to reflect on the day itself, and rejoice on the purpose of the holiday. Every holiday has a distinct and positive meaning towards the United States and its people, but there is one holiday in particular that is controversial in this aspect- the celebration of Christopher Columbus- Columbus Day. This controversy is JJJJJJ because even though Christopher Columbus had a big role in discovering America, he also was a terrible human being who tortured many. In my opinion, I believe that the celebration of discovering America should continue to be celebrated. Although, the holiday should be shifted from honoring Columbus, to instead celebrating the discovery of the United States of America by the indigenous people who were already settled in our land.
Celebrating Columbus day is not a suitable thought. Columbus Day honors Christopher Columbus who’s known for being an explorer who discovered the first everlasting European colonization in the New World. Columbus day is to celebrate the start of the trading culture between America and Europe. It was first celebrated on October 12, 1792, when the New York Society of Tammany honored Columbus on the 300th anniversary of his first journey.
Christopher Columbus was born in 1451 in Genoa, Italy. Columbus died on May 20, 1506 in Valladolid, Spain. Columbus had two kids named Diego and Ferdinand Columbus. He had a wife named Filipa Moniz Perestrelo and they were married in 1479. Columbus wanted to find a Western Sea
Christopher Columbus has been viewed as a hero for several centuries. Children in elementary schools all over the nation are taught that he discovered America. However, there were many other people who were indigenous to the land already and the Vikings arrived in America almost 500 years before Columbus. Christopher Columbus, as it turned out, was responsible for widespread genocide; he permitted his men to rape, murder, mutilate and enslave indigenous people. The evil deeds of Columbus far outweigh the few accomplishments he achieved. It doesn’t make sense for the United States to recognize this supposed Christian with a
The spirit and values of a nation are reflected in the nation’s heroes. Christopher Columbus has been regarded as an American hero since 1792. Every year Columbus Day is held on the second Monday in October to honor the man and his legacy. However, many people debate whether or not Columbus Day should be celebrated. I believe that Columbus Day should be celebrated in the United States because he opened up the New World to Europe, inspired a spirit of exploration and adventure that still lasts today, and he showed the importance of diversity and understanding of different cultures.
Columbus Day is a holiday widely celebrated throughout the Americas. It is a holiday commemorating the voyage, Christopher Columbus made for when he landed in the Bahamas on October 12, 1492. “Christopher Columbus was an Italian-born explorer who set sail in August 1492, bound for Asia with backing from the Spanish monarchs King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella.” His voyage was so successful that when he returned to Spain, he came with goods that the Europeans had never seen. The discovery of new merchandise brought about the Age of Exploration and in 1937, October 12th was officially named Columbus Day and nationally celebrated in the United States by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
After many centuries, a lot of controversy still surrounds Christopher Columbus. He remains to be a strange figure in history regarded as a famous explorer and a great mariner who made many discoveries in his days. Other people still regard him as a visionary and a national hero while others chose to remember him as a brutal and greedy person who used the rest of the humanity for his own selfish gains. Despite the fact that there have been protests in his being honored through a holiday referred to as the Columbus Day, he still deserves recognition and acknowledgement as a historical figure performed a great role in the making of the modern world.
Christopher Columbus is commonly known as the “discoverer” of the Americas. From a young age students are taught all the wonderful things he did for our land and how well he interacted with the Natives. Although the truth is disregarded and as students grow, they come to learn that Columbus was not a hero in fact. Columbus came close to causing a genocide of the Native Americans, and basically began the “white power” movement that America is forced to deal with today. The truth of what Christopher Columbus did makes him no better than Hitler, yet America still praises him as an important figure in our history. The actions of Columbus has impacted all Americans lives since the 1400’s when he first landed on American soil. Although it did make America into the super power it is today, the structure within the borders will never be equal because of his abuse of power back then. Christopher Columbus is not the hero American students are taught from a young age and does not deserve any of the praise or recognition that we as American citizens continue to give him on a daily basis.
Some say that Columbus Day shouldn't be a holiday or that the name should be changed, I believe that we should get rid of the holiday. When you are little, you are taught Christopher Columbus discovered America and he's a good person; however, in reality, none of that is true. Columbus didn't discover America, he found some islands in the Caribbean like Haiti and Cuba. In addition, he treated the Natives there with harsh cruelties. Columbus also brought over diseases that lead to the death of many natives because they weren't exposed to measles, influenza, small pox. “Christopher Columbus introduced two phenomena that revolutionized race relations and
“In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue”, these words are taught all around the states and are meant to help teach and remember the year that the now notorious Christopher Columbus went on his renowned exploration. Columbus was an Italian that was sent by the Queen and King of Spain to find riches in other lands, and during this voyage he stumbled onto the Americas. During his time in the Americas he enslaved the Native Americans, forced Christianity onto them and brought over diseases that would result in the eventual deaths of Native American. For a long period of time though, Columbus was known as the “man who discovered America”, nothing more. Now he is thought of as a murderer and a thief for stealing the land and lives of many Native Americans.
Many around the world always picture Christopher Columbus as a man who did great things for what America is today. Is that all really true? As kids, we have all, been taught that Columbus was the man who discovered America but in reality that is all a lie. Christopher Columbus was a man that made a mistake that started many issues that is still around today. Some of many things Columbus did was: he started the slave trade, he treated the Native Americans poorly, kidnapped the Tainos, and stole gold and many other items of value. Even though he did a lot of bad things not everything that Columbus did was terrible. I feel that though many things that are wrong today are his fault at the end of the day he still made America known in Europe. Christopher Columbus is a man that causes a lot of controversies but it makes a person think that was all he did worth the outcome. Bringing light to what Christopher Columbus does helps to acknowledge his legacy and what he left behind.
Christopher Columbus was(and still is) celebrated. But more and more people are starting to question his voyage. The order sons of Italy wrote in “ why we should celebrate Columbus day” that Columbus is a positive figure and that his expeditions had many positive consequences. But Howard Zinn writes in “ Columbus and the Indians that he was an enslaver who killed many people. Another point of view is Mary Ann Castronovo’s, she writes in “ in person; in defense of Columbus” that Columbus should be remembered but not celebrated. This shows that Columbus is a debated and challenged character in our past.
The story of Christopher Columbus begins in the city of Genoa in the year 1451. Columbus was the oldest of five children. He went to grammar school but left school at an early age and began sailing on Genoese ships in the Mediterranean. The sailing experience that Columbus gained
Christopher Columbus is probably one of the most well-known explorers of all time. He was responsible for starting a period of European exploration, conquest, and colonization that lasted for several centuries. It would stand to reason that this person should be deserving of a holiday. However, many have concluded that, despite these accomplishments, he has performed many malevolent acts, either indirectly of directly, and is therefore not deserving of a day dedicated to him. After reviewing the evidence presented to me, it has become clear that Columbus was, indeed, an immoral person and underserving of a holiday.
We celebrate many holidays for what they mean to us and their message. They can also be accomplishments and historical events such as Black History month. However a certain holiday that should be celebrated has many controversies surrounding it, Columbus Day. A day about Christopher Columbus’s arrival to the Americas. It should be celebrated as if he were never to set sail the Americas wouldn’t be in it’s current state. Americas was completely undeveloped before Columbus’s arrival and Columbus had many notable accomplishments.