Yes, I believe Columbus Day should be replaced with Indigenous Peoples Day.
Columbus Day celebrates Columbus, a supposedly heroic and amazing man who “discovered” the Americas. There was no discovering to do in America - there were already thousands of people living there. Columbus never even set foot in what would later become the United States because his ship landed in Latin America. Some say that he is celebrated for introducing Europe to the Americas and creating a chain reaction of colonization in the Americas which eventually led to the creation of the United States and other countries. That is true, but it also ignores the atrocities he committed. Columbus massacred and enslaved the native people, even if the violence went both ways. Having a holiday honoring him makes people want to look up to him without realizing what he actually did.
Cities and states have already replaced the holiday before including the states of Alaska, South Dakota, and Vermont and the cities of Denver, Phoenix, and Albuquerque (TIMES). Since many states and cities have already changed the name, why not change it everywhere?
Segarra, Lisa Marie. “Indigenous Peoples vs. Columbus Day: Everything to Know.” Time, Time, 31 Aug. 2017, time.com/4923164/indigenous-peoples-day-columbus-day/.
Hawaii State Legislature
www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol01_Ch0001-0042F/HRS0008/HRS_0008-0001_0005.htm
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The Oxford Dictionary defines “discover” as “Be the first to find or observe (a place, substance, or scientific phenomenon)” and news, Incas and Aztecs civilizations were already living there.
Leave that aside, Columbus could’ve done something important, something that benefited the land, the people he “discovered” and Spain, something worth to be celebrated for, but no. Columbus’s “discovery” led to a massive killing of 70%-80% thanks to European diseases transmission, as long Columbus gained wealth, he did not care about it. And this is very known, his contract with the monarchs prior to his voyages, called "The Capitulations of Santa Fe", named Columbus the admiral, viceroy, and governor of any land he discovered. It also stated that Columbus could keep 10 percent of any “merchandise, whether pearls, precious stones, gold, silver, spices and other objects” that he “acquired” within the new territory.
And also last, but not least, is important to address Columbus's facet as a slaver and tyrant: When Columbus first set foot on Hispaniola, he encountered a group of native people called the Taino, people he wrote on his diary about: "They were very well built, with very handsome bodies and very good faces,” . “They do not carry arms or know them....They should be good servants.” The natives were soon forced into slavery, and punished with the loss of a limb or death if they did not collect enough gold (a portion of which Columbus was allowed to keep for himself)
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While Christopher Columbus was directly responsible for linking the new world to the old world, he was a terrible man who encouraged imperialism and oppression. By celebrating Columbus day, the United States celebrates a man who, firmly believed in the superiority of Europeans over, Africans, and the natives of America. The least we can do to repay the Natives, who were oppressed far after Columbus's death, Is recognize their struggles,in their fight for equality. Although, replacing his holiday is a huge advancement in Indigenous recognition, we should not forget the history he molded. While European colonist led to the death of nearly all the indigenous people, they also brought new ideas and traditions, that ultimately benefited both American continents, ideas that have created the most diverse continent on the planet.
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I believe that Americans celebrate Columbus Day because it is a way for them to remember the start of a country that, for the most part, seemingly upholds glory. Though I do not feel it’s right to do so, as Columbus had never done much good. Celebrating Columbus Day is celebrating the terrorism on which our country was built. By celebrating Columbus Day, we uphold the “belittling [of] the suffering of indigenous peoples at the hands of Europeans.” (Viola, 2018) To me, this holiday does nothing but commend Columbus for the terror he put upon the Natives.The way I see it, the holiday should be changed to Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Changing the name would not remove the years and tears of sorrow that haunt America, but there has to be some action taken to at least give the generations of Indigenous people the respect their ancestors never got. We can never undo the past, but I believe by changing the name of this holiday, we are paving the way to an apology after centuries of ignorance.
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The United States celebrates Columbus Day to honor Christopher Columbus, “The Man who “Found” America”. Yes, this holiday is problematic because all Columbus did was bring about a wave of agony and suffering for the Native American people who WERE ALREADY LIVING HERE. The Native Americans were living in America, minding their own business, when suddenly they are forced out of their homes and brutally slaughters and we don’t even pay our respect to them. So yes, Columbus Day is problematic and it should be replaced with Indigenous Peoples Day.
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Change Columbus Day to Meucci Day (Italian-American who invented the telephone). HURRY! We need 100,000 Signatures in 30 Days! #ChangeColumbusDay #NationalMeucciDay #MeucciDay
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/columbus-day-should-be-changed-national-antonio-meucci-day?fbclid=IwAR3l1-S6iSzz6MGoGe7zdUreX7ojlFonRA7DbXiKyRkA39OGx0s9z_NcgYQ
it should not be changed because it's part of our history no matter good or bad and i know in California they celebrate a very liberal guy i forget his name but he did very bad things to illegal immigrants and there is no question on weather we should celebrate that or not so why should we not celebrate that
I do believe that Columbus day should be replaced with Indigenous Peoples day. The United States of America is made up of people from different ethnic races and cultures. While Columbus did make first contact with North America; he did things that were horrible. The Native Americas were taken as slaves and many died due to torture and diseases from the Europeans. We should be able to celebrate the ethic races of everyone around the world.
In some form or another, we have been told throughout our upbringings that Columbus was an evil man who deserves no recognition for the pain that he caused. The man wasn't perfect... that's for sure, but completely removing Columbus Day from American culture would be a sure waste of precious history.
As somebody who studies history for fun on a regular basis, I understand fully the importance of retaining history; no matter how controversial or hated it might be. The more questionable human history we have to remember somewhere in the back of minds, the less likely similar actions will happen again sometime in the future. This is starting to occur in the South with the removal of historical statues and landmarks that coincided with Confederate policy. As it stands, free speech is (almost) guaranteed in Germany. That is, until you mention the Nazis. The sooner we forget our history and just how evil some of it is, the more likely generations who haven't witnessed it will disregard it.
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I believe that Columbus Day should not be "replaced", per se, but rather should be celebrated alongside a newly instated "Indigenous Peoples Day". Every single Native American tribe has been mistreated somehow throughout U.S. history, from being enslaved, pillaged, and slaughtered by Europeans to being pushed further and further west throughout the course of U.S. development. Europeans through the Colombian Exchange introduced countless diseases to the native population, which wiped out well over half of the "Indians". Truly, the natives have been mistreated by Europeans throughout history.
The idea that Columbus was a wonderful and benevolent hero that discovered the Americas is terribly Eurocentric. In truth, Columbus was a monstrosity to the natives, as were the Spanish Conquistadors following Columbus. However, he did introduce the Americas to the currently Eastern world, meaning, in a way, he did "discover" the two continents. He literally put them on the map and introduced the idea that there were two more "virgin" continents to inhabit. Yes, that led to extreme mistreatment of the indigenous peoples, and yes the Europeans laid waste to the native societies for the most part, but Columbus still paved the path to the world we know today.
I think that Columbus Day should be replaced with indigenous peoples day. “Columbus Day is ‘Eurocentric’ and has ignored the brutal realities of ye colonization of indigenous people.” When I was in kindergarten, like a majority of my classmates, I was taught that Columbus discovered America. That’s simply false information. Columbus didn’t discover anything, he landed on a plot of already inhabited land by going the wrong way across the ocean and claimed the land for the queen. He started a mass genocide, that’s what he did. I don’t think this change should bother Italian-Americans. Why do you want a murderer to represent your community? Columbus Day affirms that we overlook Native American history. Don’t even get me started on Thanksgiving.
I believe that Columbus Day should be replaced with Indigenous Peoples Day. For years, Columbus Day has been a holiday in which each year the arrival of Columbus to America is celebrated. Columbus is considered the founder of America; however, the previous settlement of many Natives, who had already lived there prior to Columbus's discovery, remains overlooked. The Natives did not see the arriving American colonists as a threat until they began to establish their superiority over them. The Natives were treated with no respect. They were treated as slaves with limited rights, their land was taken from them, and many were killed in the fight to save their culture. Columbus day should be changed to Indigenous Peoples day in order to honor the ongoing struggle that they faced during the creation of America. Columbus should not be treated as a hero knowing what inhumane actions he allowed to be imposed on the Natives who were the true founders of America.
Columbus Day should be replaced with Indigenous Peoples Day. People say that Columbus discovered America but he clearly didn’t because there were already people in America. He also didn’t even know that he was in America as he assumed that he was in India. All Columbus ever did was discriminate against Native Americans and invade their country. So, I think that it would be better if we celebrate the people that were already here than to celebrate someone who took the credit of “discovering America”.
Christopher Columbus did not discover america and actually there was someone before him from England that found (not discovered America) America but no one believed him and everyone forgot so even if people say he did technically he would have rediscovered it if he had discovered it.
I think instead of replacing one day with another we should have two separate days. A conflict like this would just cause more separation among our population Colu us day is not about how he found the Americas, it is about thinking of our origins, where we came from, and the fateful steps that l were taken that day, to secure our lives in America. If its Columbus we could still talk about how it wasn't just Columbus, like this day isn't all about Columbus. But if we do change the name of the holiday i wouldn't disagree or take offense of it. This day shouldn't be all about Columbus, its much more then that.
Americans celebrate Columbus day because it is the day he "found" america. I believe the holiday is problematic because there already were people in america and he took it by force. I think that changing the name would be beneficial because it gives credit to the people who deserve it. This would be symbolic because some people despise the day because of what happened to the people who lived in america first. I agree that most of the statues should be taken down but some should remain in museums for people to remember.
Christopher Columbus Day should be replaced by Indigenous people day, because Columbus didn’t discover America. Having Columbus Day as a holiday is only promoting and celebrating the atrocities done to the native Americans. What was done to the Native Americans was one of the worst genocides in history. They where treated as slaves and had their homes taken away from them. Christopher Columbus is no hero because he saw the Native Americans as ‘less’ and savages. He didn’t respect their culture and that treatment continued for several decades and still in modern times you can still that type of treatment occurring. What is there to actually celebrate on Columbus Day? How white explorers once again destroyed an ethnic group and killed them by the thousands? Columbus Day shouldn’t be about how a European ‘found’ America, it should be about celebrating the culture of the Native Americans and respecting them.
Our school does not recognize Columbus day as an official holiday. I personally think that Columbus day should be replaced with indigenous people day because Columbus is not a good person by today's standard and back then was he not considered a good person. I do not think statues of Christopher Columbus should be taken down because it still represents American history and the discovery of it by the Italian's, making it a part of our history. I do not think that it dishonors the Italian-American. Changing the holiday makes people recognize the contributions of the Native Americans and how they were here first because other people discovered America before Columbus. The Native Americans were treated badly and got short of the stick with being enslaved, while kicked out of their homeland. Which is why I think that indigenous people should have their own day.
The United States celebrates Columbus Day because Columbus accidentally found the Americas, and decided to inhabit the land. I believe the name of the holiday is problematic because the namesake was given to a man who simply stumbled upon already occupied land and was ruthless in conquering it. The land and people were in peace before Columbus arrived, and this cruel treatment of the indigenous peoples should be reason to change the name of the holiday to Indigenous Peoples day. I don’t believe it dishonors the heritage of Italian Americans, it more so disrespects the role the indigenous peoples played in the formation and foundations of America. The changing of the name would be more symbolic than anything because it recognizes the indigenous people and their importance in America’s history as well as the European’s role.
While I do believe the name should be changed, I don’t believe the Columbus statues should be removed because he still played an important role in the founding of America. What I found most compelling about the first article was how in California, Berkeley had already voted to have the name of the holiday changed, and how the second article tried to justify their reasoning for continuing to keep up their Columbus statues and how we can learn from these statues.
Christopher Columbus didn't discover America, he simply took america away from the Indigenous people. Indigenous people have the right to have the whole month. The United States celebrates Columbus day because that is the day "Christopher Columbus discovered America." In history it says that natives where there when Columbus discovered America. America was already discovered. America should have this land and went to war for the land.
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The King & Queen of Spain send an Italian guy to find a new way to INDIA and he accidentally runs into the Americas, not knowing the American continents were even there. His men accidentally infect a native population with diseases they had no resistance to. However, he and his men DID enslave Native Americans. Primarily, however, it was the Spaniards and Portuguese and English and French and Dutch who came AFTER him that decimated the Native populations of both North & South America. So WHY BLAME HIM???
I fail to see the logic. Why not simply advocate for a separate Indigenous People's Day to HONOR the Native American contributions to our world, rather than spread hate to a long-dead Italian who had no original intention of harming a whole population before he left Spain??? It just doesn't make sense to me.
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The United States celebrates Columbus Day because America was created by the white man and is still ruled by the white man who enforces his beliefs onto the American people, brainwashing many into believing that this “hero” discovered this great place where everyone can be free to live their lives. But it was actually for europeans be free to do as they please (free from the rules of their homes overseas). People today do not learn about the truth of what Columbus Day really means. From our history books to the media we learn about the white washed parts of “our America” and how it came to be today. But Columbus Day really means the day of the start to destruction for Indigenous people. The day that would turn North American into a death bed for many natives and they turning into the dirt for europeans to step on, leading to the successful place we call America, “LAND OF THE FREE AND THE HOME OF BRAVE!”
This holiday is very problematic because he did not discover America at all. He had no right to take the lands of North America away was from a large population of Indigenous people who called this place home. Their home. Nor did he have the right to slaughter millions of Indigenous people when they chose to resist his control an claim to their land. (This happening after he manipulated natives into learning how to survive in this new place no longer needing there help afterwards) Even after bringing disease and slaughtering millions, he then went and enslaved many more.
@Symone Williams
I'm sick and tired of people saying Columbus has no rights to America. The right of conquest is real, if one cannot defend it, they do not deserve to own it. This means that since the natives could not defend their homeland, it was rightly taken from them by people who had the means to do so. That's how the world works.
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@Symone Williams
Saying that Columbus Day was a result of the white man brainwashing the general population is about as ignorant as it gets. Columbus Day was formed as a way for America to retain some part of its history. It wasn't even an official holiday until 1937, so how could it have been a product of national white pride, when at that point, America was already home to millions of immigrants?
Columbus was unaware that North America even existed.
@CW, sculptor
Neither did the rest of the modernized world...
Christopher Columbus is the paradigm of American relentlessness and determination. Not the farsighted underdog he is remembered as, he was was well connected socially and sorely misguided: never actually setting foot on mainland United States, remaining convinced he reached the Orient, dehumanizing ancient native populations, and committing brutal atrocities. Despite this, the purpose of Columbus Day is to celebrate the pioneering persistence and tenacity of the American spirit, inaccurately credited or not. This is not the systematic forgetting of an unspeakably horrific era, but instead the desire to improve in the future. The holiday should remain “Columbus Day” because it allows us to scrutinize the crimes against the indigenous people while serving as a warning of what happens when we lose our humanity and empathy, and reminding us to maintain virtue, morality, and honesty absent in Columbus’s time as we innovate and progress for the future.
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I think that Columbus day should be one day of Indigenous Peoples month. This would be a fair way to satisfy both sides and it would also allow indigenous people to have the same recognition as Black History month. I think it should be like this because although I know that Columbus's landing affected indigenous people in a very bad, big way, I think it is unfair to remove someone's legacy because of what their action led to. After all, Columbus just wanted to find a way to India, not start genocide.
I believe if the government changed the name of the holiday people would treat Native Americans differently. People would wonder why it got changed then they would research and find out what happened to them. After they find out they might view them differently.
I think that changing the name will change people's perspectives on indigenous people. An that they will treat them differently if they learn what great things they have done.
Americans celebrate Columbus Day because he was the “first” person to set foot on America, even though it was the Native Americans. I think that the holiday isn’t that great of an idea considering that he killed off a ton of natives when he came to America in 1492. I think that a lot of people are brainwashed with the fact that Columbus was this peaceful and courageous guy, but I think a lot of people have realized how terrible of a person he is and want this holiday to celebrate who actually discovered America rather than who didn’t. I think that people will honor the natives a lot more since they were the actual first people to discover America. I think that the statues should be taken down because, to me and many people, it represents torture and murdering of innocent Native Americans. The argument that stands out most to me is when John M. Viola said, “If we allow uncontrolled tearing down of memorials or unilateral reinterpretation of American history, then we will be damaging our democracy by limiting vigorous debate on our history, with all its beauty and blemishes.” I disagree with this because it’s not fair that we teach young generations lies about a man who was severely racist and did a lot of damage to innocent cultures. People won’t go haywire and destroy everything, they will recognize why they need tore down and teach people what really happened and who deserves the credit.
Today the U.S is celebrating Columbus Day, it’s the day when Christopher Columbus discovered America. I think the holiday is important but has its faults. Most people think Columbus and his people killed all those Native Americans and they discovered before Columbus. I think it would be beneficial to change the name of the holiday because people seem to argue over it every year. They should leave the statues up until they find actually find out what really happened.
Columbus day is celebrated in America to honor his arrival in America although he wasn't the best person. More people would celebrate Columbus day rather than indigenous peoples day because they were told that Columbus was the first person to discover America.
@Richard Comet If I walk into your house, where you have been living all your life, how does that mean I discovered it?
There is something about this argument that has gone unnoticed: major corporations that give their employees paid time off on major holidays have taken advantage of this argument and took away “Columbus Day” off as a major paid holiday failing to replace it with Indigenous People’s day. In any corporation today apparently it’s all about milking each employee for as much work as possible, and this provided a platform to take away a paid day from already exhausted and overworked work force. To add insult to injury, people who have children of primary school age have children who still stay home for Columbus Day while they don’t, and so are forced to take a PTO as there is no left to watch their children. Gross... I understand all the arguments against Columbus Day and agree with them, but you are playing right into the hands of corporate America and are behaving with a complete lack of consideration. Why do you not petition for a complete replacement? You allowed corporate America to manipulate you. Congrats!
People celebrate Columbus day because it is said he was the first person to step foot on United States soil when in reality he didn’t step foot on continental United States. He was also a horrible man who murdered native americans and should not have a holiday honoring him. I think if the name was to be changed the meaning would be changed and people would start respecting the day more. However, Columbus is part of the United States history and we all know back then there were not many people who were kind to native americans and african americans it’s part of history. I think people should look at Columbus day and think of how far we’ve come since then not to see a murderer but to see a lesson the country has learned and mistakes we’ve overcome.
United States was fighting with England, not Spain. John Cabot discovered newfound land in England’s name around 1497 and paved the way for England’s colonization of most of North America, this is why the U.S. celebrates Columbus day. I believe this holiday is a problematic to the people who are offended by us celebrating a man who didn't find America and has done more bad than good. It would be dishonoring the Italian-Americans heritage if anything it saves them from further embarrassment, after all the awful things Columbus has done to Native Americans he isn’t a good representation of Italian-American culture. The movement to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day is symbolic, it shows that America won't tolerate unfair treatment and discrimination among different races, it is almost 2020 and it should be fixed. I believe his status should be taken down because he took credit from the real people who deserved it and he never benefited our country only perceived it. “If we allow uncontrolled tearing down of memorials...of American history, then we will be damaging our democracy by limiting vigorous debate on our history” to be very interesting to me. I don’t think tearing down memorials will become an uncontrolled act of the people or a protest. People that have done things to hurt others don’t deserve to be celebrated.
People normally use this holiday as another way to celebrate their contributions to our country. I think there is a little problem with this because that is not what the day was for it was to celebrate Christopher Columbus and what he did for our country. What he did for our country was terrible, he was a very cruel man and we shouldn't have a day to celebrate him. I also think changing the name will only show our appreciation to the people that went through what Columbus did to them. Which this might help but it is to late to stop anything that happen to them in the past so it is not doing much.
@Lauren Comet
You need to give actual examples of these "terrible" things that Columbus did before you go on to the internet and start posting meaningless statements. I have no reason to believe you that we should change the name of the holiday until you can give proof that Columbus commited atorcities. I'm a history buff, I know what he did when he was in north america, so don't give the classic " you know what he did" answer , becuase that just means you don't know what you're talking about.
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@Robert
You're not wrong. What people in these comments sections miss is that Columbus did actually commit genocide. Sure, what he did would lead other to do it, but they were at war. The natives weren't completely innocent as they are often perceived. Most of the dead came from unknown and accidental disease transfer, not murder.
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@Dimitrios Spanos
Didn’t*
I don't think changing the name would change how the native Americans are treated. More than anything its symbolic. we want to hide our nasty past and only focus on the good but you have to learn from things like that you cant just hide it from people. That's how you lose trust.
Columbus day should still be celebrated because it was history and very famous that we should keep the holiday as it is and don't change it. it was a very famous day to remember. our school does not celebrate Columbus day as i thought we did. We do not take any time out of our school day to celebrate, so i think that Columbus day should stay as it is.
The U.S. celebrates Columbus Day because it was the day Columbus discovered America. Yes, I believe that the holiday has its faults. For example, Him and his men killing off all those Native Americans. I think that it would be beneficial to change the name, because it will finally give some recognition towards the Native Americans. For years the Native Americans history has been overlooked, and if Columbus Day does get changed then maybe it will spark some attention. I believe that if it gets changed then more indigenous people would get more props for what they did and were. I feel that they shouldn’t tear them down, because of its history and symbolic representation recorded as a reminder of our past. I felt like every argument in each article was interesting and strong.
The United States celebrates Columbus Day because he supposably is the one who found America. I think it is a good idea to change the holiday because all he did was basically kill off all the Indians and torture others. I think it overlooks it. I think it is more symbolic because it resembles the past and what Columbus did. All the statues should be taken down because they are a monument for a guy who did not even discover America and hurt others.
Columbus Day is celebrated in the United States because we are honoring the arrival of Christopher Columbus even though he was a very evil person. Why should we change the holiday like honestly less people are going to celebrate indigenous peoples day then Columbus day but knowing us (The United States) we will change it but why change that when we should change to the metric system thats so much easier then all the stupid fractions we have to deal with why can't we change that huh?
I think they should change the name of Columbus Day or just get rid of it all together. Christopher Columbus was not a good person and he doesn't deserve a holiday dedicated to him. Not only did he create mass genocide, he also wasn't the first person to discover America.
@Katelyn Comet
Columbus did NOT commit mass genocide. The natives are often seen as 'innocent' when it comes to this point, but they were arguably as violent as the Europeans. They were at war, mind you, and each side committed atrocities against the other. Most of the deaths of the natives were accidental, as their immune systems haven't been exposed to European disease.
The United States celebrates Columbus Day because it “represents the values of discovery and risk that are at the heart of the American dream.” I don’t think the holiday itself is problematic, all we do is get a day off from school and that’s considered “celebrating” I have a problem with what it represents. What I have a problem with is us celebrating a terrible man. I don’t think changing the name of Columbus Day would be dishonoring the Italian-Americans heritage if anything it saves them from further embarrassment, after all the awful things he's done to Native Americans he isn’t a good representation of Italian-American culture. Too many people think he is a great person but really he was a terrible man. This movement to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day is symbolic it shows that America won't tolerate unfair treatment and discrimination among different races. The statues of Christopher Columbus should be taken down. He hasn’t accomplished that's benefited our country, there are so many people that have done great things for our country that don’t have statues. I find the argument that “If we allow uncontrolled tearing down of memorials...of American history, then we will be damaging our democracy by limiting vigorous debate on our history” to be interesting. I don’t think tearing down memorials will become an right act. People that have done things to hurt others don’t deserve to be commemorated which should be a topic that is not up for debate.
I would say that the changing of the holiday's name would be mostly symbolic. Yanking the rug from under Columbus and his holiday would be a way of showing our disapproval of what he had done. I do not think that changing the name of the holiday will have a large effect on indigenous peoples.
Yes, I do believe that Columbus Day should be replaced by Indigenous People's day. Christopher Columbus played a huge part in the suffering of millions of Native Americans and to have a whole day celebrating him is a slap in the face to the Native American community. America has preached a false narrative about Christopher Columbus and what he did for this country for decades, and it is time that that ends. Instead, I think that we should take this day to acknowledge the pain and suffering our Natives went through at the hands of America's colonizers, and how that suffering is still continuing today.
Do you think changing the name of the holiday can change the way indigenous peoples are treated and remembered in United States history? Or is this move largely symbolic?
I believe that changing the name of the holiday can change the way indigenous people are treated. After being lied to by our history teachers saying that Christopher Columbus discovered America when really native Americans did. I believe that if we change this holiday then it could change out future for the best.
In my opinion, I believe changing the name of the holiday cannot change the way indigenous people are treated. I believe this because not many people care or pay attention to the holiday, so if they change the name, I feel they still wouldn't care. To me, this move would be largely symbolic because many people don't know what happened and why the holiday is even a thing.
I believe that we should not change Columbus day's name. Although there is some controversy over whether or not he actually found the Americas, and how he treated the indigenous people. even with this controversy, Columbus day is not about how he found the Americas, it is about thinking of our origins, where we came from, and the fateful steps that were taken that day, to secure our lives in America.
The United States celebrates Columbus Day because it “represents the values of discovery and risk that are at the heart of the American dream.” I don’t think the holiday itself is problematic, all we do is get a day off from school and that’s considered “celebrating” I have a problem with what it represents. Why are we choosing to celebrate a man that has never stepped foot in our country, enslaved Native Americans, and murdered a large mass them? I don’t think changing the name of Columbus Day would be dishonoring the Italian-Americans heritage if anything it saves them from further embarrassment, after all the awful things he's done to Native Americans he isn’t a good representation of Italian-American culture. This movement to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day is symbolic it shows that America won't tolerate unfair treatment and discrimination among different races. The statues of Christopher Columbus should be taken down. He hasn’t accomplished that's benefited our country, there are so many people that have done great things for our country that don’t have statues. I find the argument that “If we allow uncontrolled tearing down of memorials...of American history, then we will be damaging our democracy by limiting vigorous debate on our history” to be interesting. I don’t think tearing down memorials will become an uncontrolled act. People that have done things to hurt others don’t deserve to be commemorated which should be a topic that is not up for debate.
Yes.
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After years of being lied to by history teachers saying that Christopher Columbus discovered America and finding out that he really did not that native Americans were the one to discover it, it was a real eye opener. I feel as though America should not celebrate a day for Cristopher Columbus if he was not the one who did all the work the natives are. Native Americans are the true dfscoverers of America they deserve a day of celebration just as much as Christopher Columbus. Christopher Columbus has caused done more bad than he has good for America and yet we celebrate this man every year for something that he didn't even do, its not right. Yes Christopher Columbus day should be changed into indigenous people's day because the native are the people who deserve the glory for the discovery of America.
Our country was founded on the backs of suffering Native Americans and other minorities, so the celebration of someone as unsympathetic as Christopher Columbus is sickening. Shifting the focus of October 8th to the celebration of Indigenous Peoples is long overdue. The argument can be made that Italian Americans should have a day in honor of their ancestor's accomplishments, but the perils they may have experienced in America's history are little in comparison to those of Natives and African Americans. While a different name for the day may not cause change instantaneously, the renaming will serve as a symbol of our continuously developing society moving towards a more equal future.
Do you think honoring a criminal, murderer, and reckless adventurer is providing a good example? I don't. I would rather recognize the peaceful, Indigenous people that are true original Americans. From my viewpoint, the only reason Christopher Columbus is celebrated is due to the false fact that he discovered America. In truth, millions of Native Americans were there first. Yes, Columbus led four voyages in wooden boats across the dangerous Atlantic Ocean, but what he did when he got there can not be overlooked. Christopher Columbus inflicted violence and slavery beyond comprehension, forced the natives to become Christians, and the rapid, deathly spread of European diseases wiped out nearly 90% of the Indigenous people, according to pbs.org. When this information was brought to light, a ripple of outcry answered. The controversy over the validity of celebrating Columbus will continue, however I strongly believe we should not celebrate him at all. Instead, Indigenous People Day will allow all Americans to honor those who were there first, those who taught us so much about how to survive in the Americas, and finally say thanks for everything they have done.
After centuries of understanding the false accomplishments of Columbus, America still credits him for having discovered America. The Native Americans, wrongly called Indians, became subject to years of suffering under the control of the white men following Columbus's lead. Europe and the USA have always been run by white, patriarchal societies and the fact that Columbus Day is still known as such, proves that those who run America can not get over themselves, more specifically the wealthy, white men in power. Rather than honoring a man who had technologically inferior people subject to years of torture, America should put their heads down and remember those who went under those times of discrimination, and watched their families be killed and raped. The indigenous peoples of America are still subject to the white patriarchy that runs the US and as a society we must show the understanding that we have of the shortcomings they are given in modern day society, as well as acknowledging the past.
Columbus Day should have been renamed Indigenous Peoples' Day everywhere years ago. How the day became known as Columbus Day in the first place is beyond me. Any time he is brought up in conversation it's always for negative reasons. When learning about what he did, you won't learn anything positive. People have been wrongly celebrating this holiday since it was created. It is a day to remember those that came before us struggled, fought and suffered at the hands of Columbus.
In my opinion, I find it pretty offensive that Indigenous Peoples' day is the same day as Columbus day. Considering the fact that Columbus committed genocide and enslaved tons of Native Americans in land they called their home. In the article it says something about someone saying that the statue of Columbus "is racism! take it down." I totally agree with that statement. Shouldn't we be ashamed as Americans of the fact that this took place in our country? And instead of shaming Columbus for his actions we praise him with a statue. I remember that once I read somewhere that Germany banned it illegal to fly the nazi flag or anything nazi related however America didn't ban it illegal to fly the confederate flag or white supremacy. That is because Germany is ashamed of their bigotry but America is proud of it and that is awfully sad.
@Lizbeth
I agree with your comment! I don't believe he should be celebrated for the awful things he had done. A lot of people don't truly know or understand the things that were involved with him after he had discovering the land.
@Lizbeth
I would have to disagree with this statement. This aforementioned "genocide" committed by Columbus wasn't really genocide at all. He landed there and the natives weren't exactly innocent about it. They committed war atrocities too because, well, they were in a war. This assumption that Columbus was entirely in charge of the violence is incredibly one-sided and overall false. Most of the deaths to the natives were done from European plague that was new to them. Their immune systems weren't ready for it.
I was awe-struck when you America was proud of its questionable actions while Germany wasn't. I do not believe the either country is entirely proud with their past, but America has a guaranteed right that cannot be taken away from the people that Germany does not. It is the same right that is allowing you and I to have this civil discussion. In this comments section. Of this media outlet. Permitted by this individual right.
I believe that Christopher Columbus is not such a great figure that we should celebrate him. In a sense he was a terrorists. He landed in the caribbean islands and upon his arrival he declared that land his. He took away the indigenous peoples' rights and treated then as slaves. He killed leaders, people, raped women, and even killed children. Should that be celebrated? Should someone who committed such offenses be celebrated? Instead, the indigenous people should be celebrated. The people from the land once called Hispanola, should be glorified for all they had gone through in the past. The resilience, bravery, independence, and strength of these ancient people should be recognized and glorified.
Columbus is considered as a hero in the past, he founded the new world and brought riches to europe bringing back an exotic world. But in today's standards we see Columbus differently, our generation sees him as a thief, rapist, and gridy man. throughout history we seen him as a hero and instead,now, we portray the reality of his actions. we shouldn't celebrate this day because it blinds the reality of world and how evil people can be. society brainwashed children to think he's a great man and should now stop it. he didn't mean to find America as well. He caused millions of native americans to die with forced labor and another million with the disease he brought.
In terms of the statue debate, without a doubt I believe that they should be taken down for the simple reason that if America portrays itself as a free country, Christoper Columbus is the complete contradiction. Columbus thought he was in India and died believing it, he was not even in America either, he was in the Caribbean islands. Not only did this man invade the lives of the innocent Native Americans, or Indians as he liked to call them, he sought to proclaim dominance in any circumstance he could find disregarding true morals by continuously torturing them and killing them. What did he do for America? Why are our textbooks only providing us with the sugarcoated version of Columbus? The only reason there would ever be a statue of him would be to remind us of the pain he inflicted onto many, but unfortunately, that is not our reality. Our history as a country is already written down, and Columbus is not forgotten there. His glorification is not necessary. Lets save some space and cleanse it by his removal.
This article rightfully addresses the controversy over memorials and memory in the American story. We are a diverse country with a complicated history, that's for sure. It would be nice if we could figure out a way as a society to respect the history of all people equally. I think a big way of doing that would be through education and importing well-rounded historical curriculum from Pre-K through 12 so kids have the grounding in what happened, why it happened, where it happened, and what those on all sides of issues and history felt about it. I was reading in the Wall Street Journal today that a shockingly small number of American citizens could even pass the civics test given to those who are trying to immigrate to the country. If we don't know history then we cannot make informed, well reasoned decisions on matters like these. You have to respect all sides of these arguments. Let's build more monuments to a wider range of heroes. Let's celebrate more heroes and respectfully dialogue about these topics rather than seeing it as a binary choice between valuing one culture or another. But I do think it starts with how well educated we are about what actually happened.
In terms of the statue debate i believe that we should leave the statues of Columbus alone. People may thing that we should take them down because he didn't really do anything to be honored the way he is. But I'm not disagreeing with them, I just think that these Columbus statues are good reminder of our history. I think it would be cool if I took my kids to the statues and talk to them about how I learned about this holiday.
I think that we should change something with this holiday, maybe the name, or maybe the way we teach the holiday. If its Columbus we could still talk about how it wasn't just Columbus, like this day isn't all about Columbus. But if we do change the name of the holiday i wouldn't disagree or take offense of it. This day shouldn't be all about Columbus, its much more then that.
I think that the name of the holiday and why we celebrate it could be altered, but I do not think statues should be taken down everywhere. As said in the second article, "all monuments represent just a snapshot of our history" I think this is true, monuments are just material and they just represent important parts of history, good or bad. The meaning of the holiday though has more impact on everyone. I feel that it should be changed to emphasize the legacy of the indigenous people rather than Columbus himself.
I think it should because Columbus Day only celebrates the discovery of the United States and does not even mention the people who already inhabited the country and Columbus is said to be responsible for the murder of those indigenous people. The day should be called Indigenous people's day so we can recognize the people.
This is a tricky topic: I do not feel right celebrating Christopher Columbus because he had harmed so many Indigenous Peoples, but I also feel that without him, America may not be the same as it is today. I agree that Columbus represents the "discovery and risk that are at the heart of the American dream" and that it is unfair to erase history and this day. The holiday wasn't mean to celebrate his abuse, however, it is hard to celebrate Columbus after all he had done to Native Americans; it's sickening. I am unsure about what should be done.
I suggest Explorers Day which would also recognize the importance of those who made the arduous journey from Siberia.
I believe that we should not change Columbus day's name. although there is some controversy over whether or not he actually found the Americas, and how he treated the indigenous people. even with this controversy, Columbus day is not about how he found the Americas, it is about thinking of our origins, where we came from, and the fateful steps that were taken that day, to secure our lives in America.
I think the United States celebrates Columbus day because it is honoring the person who founded our country. I believe that we should honor him, but I realize that he did some harmful things to Native American people. I think that history repeats itself, and we should learn from Columbus, and not tear the history of him down.
I think the US celebrates this holiday because without Columbus, European countries wouldn't know about what became America. If Europe didn't create colonies here, things would look very different. I don't view the holiday as problematic, because It's not intended to celebrate the fact that he hurt others or took their land. However, I might think differently if I was of native dissent. So I guess I can understand why some are opposed to celebrating.
I do not think that Columbus Day is problamatic because Columbus was the first one who officialy found our country. He also proved people wrong by finding the new land.
I do not think changing the name would show discrimination because columbus found our country oficialy and made it recognized by the rest of the world. I think the vandalism of statues is vandalism of the United States history.
I feel as though the vandalizing of the statues is very inappropriate and uncalled for. Instead, of doing something like that maybe they should just make other statues that represent the indigenous people. That may be able to satisfy some people who think that Columbus was racist. Something that I found to be a very true statement is that tearing down the statues does not change history and there is a reason that those statues were built in the first place so might as well just keep them up.
In my opinion, the tearing down of statues is more counterproductive than anything. Not only does it seem to be erasing past events, but also it's making people argue. Instead more monuments could be built to recognize all cultures. Colombus day could be reshaped as well. Not just as Native American day but as more of an American history day to understand all of the sides.
I think that the holiday for Columbus should be changed to Indigenous Peoples Day because although Columbus represents discovery and exploration of America, he as a person was in charge of mass genocide against Native Americans. If you are to celebrate him as a person, you are also supporting what he did with his life and to the Native Americans. I think we should better educate students in school to what Christopher Columbus really accomplished. There were many Native Americans who lived in America before Columbus came, and those people should also be recongnized.
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I think instead of replacing one day with another we should have two separate days. A conflict like this would just cause more separation among our population. Being more divided is not something our society needs right now, so a compromise would be ideal. If an indigenous people's day was treated as equally as Columbus day then I think that would be a fair idea.