I am of the belief that the greatest people and societies examine their past to learn from their triumphs and mistakes. On this day, America must reckon with the decision to make Columbus Day a federal holiday in 1937.
For decades, America’s school children have been taught that the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492, when he traveled across the Atlantic Ocean aboard the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa Maria.
The problem with this story is that it is mostly false.
During his four trips to the “New World,” Columbus arrived in the Caribbean on an island known today as the Bahamas and on an island called Hispaniola, which is now known as Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Columbus proceeded to explore the coasts along Central and South America and NEVER set foot in North America.
Columbus brought to the “New World” wheat, bubonic plague, chicken pox, cholera, malaria, measles and typhoid. These diseases decimated the Indigenous people living on the land that Columbus supposedly “discovered.”
The Indigenous people who survived novel European diseases were largely enslaved by Columbus and treated with extreme violence and brutality. When natives revolted against Columbus in the Dominican Republic, he ordered them killed and had their dead bodies paraded through the streets. In addition, Columbus sent thousands of Indigenous people back to Spain to be sold into permanent slavery.
Historians say Columbus is responsible for the genocide of millions of Indigenous people.
It is far past time we ask why anyone would celebrate this man?
Italian Americans have been the biggest proponent of Columbus Day as they see the national holiday as a celebration of their heritage. However, when Columbus was alive, there was no such thing as an Italian and Italy did not exist until 1861. In addition, Columbus sailed for Spain and was financed by the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile.
I am against the mostly far-left progressive movement calling for the cancellation of people and events because of the realization that no one is perfect, but America should not be honoring people who committed genocide or launched the Civil War.
Can Italian Americans really not find someone else to celebrate? There are plenty of Italian Americans who did not kill millions of innocent people and actually had a profoundly positive impact on American culture and society.
Last week, President Biden became the first president to mark Indigenous Peoples' Day with a presidential proclamation.
“For generations, Federal policies systematically sought to assimilate and displace Native people and eradicate Native cultures,” Biden wrote in the Indigenous Peoples’ Day proclamation. “Today, we recognize Indigenous peoples’ resilience and strength as well as the immeasurable positive impact that they have made on every aspect of American society.”
President Biden is correct. It is far past time America brought attention to the ways in which we have discriminated against Indigenous people and recognize their numerous contributions to America. As a country, we must focus on addressing how federal policies have harmed Indigenous people ranging from climate change, to gender based violence and land confiscation.
America is at her best when we celebrate each other's differences and come together over our shared love of freedom and equality for all. We now must work to right the endless wrongs perpetrated against Indigenous people as America fights to become a more perfect union.
[WAPO, Why Is Columbus Day still a U.S. federal holiday?, October 11, 2015]
[WAPO, The war against Columbus Day, October 10, 2016]
[WAPO, Why Columbus Day’s days could be numbered, October 12, 2015]
[WAPO, Five myths about Christopher Columbus, October 8, 2015]
[NYT, Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Explained, Oct. 11, 2021]
[CNN, Why Christopher Columbus wasn't the hero we learned about in school, June 12, 2020]
[History, Christopher Columbus, Oct 4, 2021]
[USA Today, Biden becomes first president to mark Indigenous Peoples' Day with presidential proclamation, Oct 8, 2021]
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