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October 11, 2005
The Race Files: Columbus Day doubts
There is some controversy about whether Christopher Columbus discovered America. It is known that the
Vikings explored the coast of North America 300-500 years prior to Columbus’ great discovery.
Nevertheless, the voyages that Columbus made were indeed unique and consequently resulted in a relationship between Europe and the Americas.
Columbus was born in 1451 in Genoa, Italy, but he spent most of his life at sea. He wanted to find a new route to the Far East to obtain valuable silks and spices. He knew that the world was round, but what awaited him was far beyond anything he could imagine. He believed that sailing west instead of taking the usual route east would lead him to the Spice Islands near India. His voyage was financed by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain.
As the old adage goes, “In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” Of course Columbus did not “discover” North America. According to the Indian Times, the regions Columbus explored were already inhabited by the Taino Nation. Believing he had landed on the Spice Islands, he named the people he met “Indians.”
For many, the discovery of America provided great opportunities. However, for the Native Americans, this was the beginning of the genocide, rape, and slavery of a people.
One of the first known celebrations marking the discovery of the “New World” by Columbus was in 1792 by the Colombian Order in New York City commemorating the 300th anniversary of Columbus’ voyage. Then on October 12, 1866, the Italian population in New York organized the first celebration of the discovery of America. But it wasn’t until 1905 that Colorado became the first state to officially recognize Columbus Day.
In 1971, Congress declared Columbus Day a federal public holiday to be held on the second Monday in October. Although Columbus Day is still acknowledged, controversy has made it less popular.
The real story of the beginnings of our U.S. history is a beautiful, terrible, and hidden thing. Columbus is still glorified as a hero who was the first to see North America. Yet the story of the many people who were oppressed, enslaved, slaughtered, and infected in the context of Columbus’ travels remains untold and
untaught in most classrooms.
Re-evaluating the story students learn and the reality of what actually happened to the Taino Nation leads us to question what is worth celebrating in this history. Where is the line drawn between celebrating the heroic efforts of a man and tolerating social and political festivities that celebrate the genocide of a people?
Posted by msveum at October 11, 2005 11:22 PM
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