The federal holiday of Columbus Day has always been a day to celebrate the journeys of Christopher Columbus and his navigation which mistakenly, “discovered”, the Americas. It is a Monday off from work or school that many Americans look forward to. Over the course of the past few years, this holiday has become a controversial subject. The question that many Americans are debating over currently, is, should Christopher Columbus be celebrated? Although the Genoan- sent on his travels by Italian royalty- is thanked today for discovering North and South America, Columbus did participate in the ravaging of supplies and accidental murdering (through disease), of millions of indigenous people. While it is important to remember the basis that anything is founded on, it is also important to remember that even though really great things may come from something, its beginning is sometimes rough and may not be as glorified as it is made out to be. Christopher Columbus was an Italian man from Genoa, who was given ships and supplies by the royalty of Spain to attempt to find a new sailing route to India. Columbus went the opposite route that navigators usually take to get to India, and decided to test a theory that the earth may be a globe. When he touched land for the first time, which was modern-day Bahamas, he immediately assumed he had found India. Christopher and his crews decided to take advantage of the hospitable nature of the native Bahamians and take them as slaves, and convert them to Christianity. What he did not know is that he and his sailing crew, as Europeans, carried many diseases that these people were not exposed to. As a result, after meeting Columbus, millions of native’s died from transported diseases from Europe.
Many people today look back into the history of Columbus and his travels, and seriously consider if he was doing a good thing for the good of America. As an article by The Philadelphia Inquirer states, “Columbus Day idealizes a murderer who got lost during his expedition and minimizes the negative effects of colonialism on America’s Indigenous peoples” (Norwood 1). While it is true that Columbus Day celebrates Christopher Columbus who did murder many people, it is also important to remember that this behavior was not shunned in his time. His journey did begin “two greatest crimes in the history of the Americas: the transatlantic slave trade, and the genocide of Indigenous peoples” (Norwood 1), which were responsible for the deaths of millions of innocent people. Columbus had the intention of finding India in the first place, but did end up starting a mass genocide in a new world he “discovered” for the Europeans. Many people argue that Columbus day should be celebrated due to the fact that Columbus found our country and is the reason that we have the U.S.A., but an interesting fact to remember is that “Columbus never stepped foot in what is now the continental United States, so he is not part of any North American heritage” (Norwood 1). It is an argument to use the fact that Columbus discovered North America, but Columbus actually never stepped foot on what is now American soil.
While there are many reasons why Columbus did much harm, there are also a few reasons why it is important to celebrate such a controversial figure. Remarkably, “Columbus possessed admirable qualities, of which all Americans can be proud. Even by his detractors, he is seen as a skilled sea captain of the highest order. He challenged the conventional thought that the Earth was flat, seeking to “reach the east by going west,” an idea to which the scientists of the day were forcibly opposed” (The Denver Post 1). Columbus did successfully traverse a new way of navigation, which no European had ever done before. This is a task that should be celebrated because it can be terrifying to try something new, no matter what it is. Columbus took a big risk, and although he did not reach his goal, he found new land, which is good for the Europeans. Another achievement that is brought up in the discussion of whether Columbus is a good example of Italian-American heritage, is that “Columbus discovered the American continental coast and recorded the voyage in a way that enabled others to repeat the feat” (The Denver Post 1). Columbus did execute a path to a completely new land, and cleared the way for other navigators to dig more into the journey he began. He discovered American lands, and was able to record all of his travels to enable other travellers to take his route. While there are many different opinions and reasons on why or why not Columbus Day should be celebrated, or turned into Indigenous People’s day, it is very important for people to hear both sides of the discussion. Personally, I believe that this holiday should be celebrated as Indigenous People’s Day. The astronomical numbers of Indigenous people who were murdered at the sense of Columbus’s unknowingness is absolutely terrible. The genocide of natives is not something that should be taken lightly. A day to celebrate Indigenous culture and history would be important for people to realize what was taken from native people who were innocent. Both sides of any argument are important to hear and take note of. In this argument though, I stand with the idea of renaming Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day, to take power away from the murderer and bring power and justice to what was taken away from people so many years ago, with long lasting effects.
Before I Knew of The World
Avery Kurzontkowski
October 5th, 2021
I have never been a girl of quiet nature. Since I was a child, I have always been the first one to speak out loud in class, or introduce myself to a new person. Every report card I ever received had the same thing in common in the notes: Needs to learn to be silent in class. I never understood why it was such a big deal that I enjoyed sharing. My voice was my power, I could use it to contribute to the world I saw all around me through my eyes. I was little, and everyone around me was so large. Rather than letting the world dictate me to become who they wanted me to be, I could use my voice to speak my own truths. Nobody could take my voice away from me, my voice was mine. As I have matured into a teenager, soon to be an adult, I still carry the trait of being a loud person. In the photo, I wear a large dress, and hold a guitar, which I received for Christmas. The little girl is sweet, with short blonde hair, and a button nose. But her expression is loud- she is not dressed by her mother, she is not being told how to stand by her father. She is choosing the way to present herself, nobody can take away her self expression.
m
I loved dressing up as a little girl in princess dresses. Whether it be Belle, Cinderella, or Ariel- who was my favorite in particular- you could always find me in a dress. I guess it was my way of expressing myself as a child, an outlet to be a part of the fairytales I read and dreamed of. As a teenager I cannot help but get excited when I must wear a fancy dress for a school dance or social event. The passion I have for expressing myself through fashion continued on through my life, but in a different form. I guess some traits stay similar throughout everyone’s life, but take different forms as they mature.
I have no recollection of why I enjoyed Band Aids so much, but I did. My parents tell me stories of me taking boxes of Band Aids and sticking them all over my body, and the dog’s body so I could play veterinarian. In this photo, a large Band Aid is covering my forehead, making it seem as though I injured myself in some way, but in reality, I was a child with a strange interest. I have no passion for medical studies today, but as a child, I constantly wanted to know how and why things worked the way they did. It was like a sticker, which was fascinating- but I could decide what it meant, the sticker did not tell me what it was meant for. Band Aids were a blank canvas, whatever image I wanted could be imagined on it.
When the photo was taken, I was still an only child. My sister had not come into my life yet, all of the attention was on me by my parents. Everywhere they went, I did. I was known by everyone in my Dad’s insurance office, “David’s little girl.” I worried about running out of ink in my markers when I would color, which seemed big to me, but in contrast to the bills my parents were struggling to pay, my issues were not of concern. I did not know the concept of an issue, all I knew was that the world is mine, and I could shape it to whatever I wanted it to be. A little girl of four looks for unicorns in the woods, she does not know the concept of responsibility. I wish the world could stay in this perspective for everyone, forever. Wouldn't that make life a lot easier?
ABOUT ME
I look back on what I love to do and writing is something that has always been consistent. When I had to begin a blog for my eighth grade class project, I thought I would get a good grade on it and never have to touch it again. Years into the future, I have realized that blogging is something I have a passion for. Through some stories, some memoirs, some poems, and some essays, take a look at the interests I have and the writings I have made.
POPULAR POSTS
Contact Form
Powered by Blogger.
Pageviews
Search This Blog
Blog Archive
- October 2023 (1)
- August 2023 (1)
- January 2023 (1)
- December 2022 (1)
- October 2022 (1)
- September 2022 (1)
- May 2022 (1)
- April 2022 (3)
- February 2022 (1)
- November 2021 (2)
- October 2021 (2)
- September 2021 (2)
- August 2021 (1)
- June 2021 (1)
- March 2021 (2)
- February 2021 (1)
- January 2021 (3)
- December 2020 (4)
- November 2020 (2)
- October 2020 (3)
- September 2020 (2)
- April 2020 (2)
- February 2020 (1)
- January 2020 (1)
- November 2019 (2)
- October 2019 (2)
- September 2019 (3)
- August 2019 (1)
- June 2019 (2)
- May 2019 (3)
- April 2019 (2)
- February 2019 (1)
- January 2019 (2)
- December 2018 (3)
- November 2018 (3)
- October 2018 (2)
- September 2018 (9)
Translate
Popular Posts
-
Hey guys! Welcome back to my b10g. Today I am going to be hosting a huge giveaway for my blog to get people interested! Below I will put...
-
Hey y’all! Today I am going to be explaining how to get a boyfriend in three steps! Some boyfriends are easy to aquire, but some take more ...
-
“In the sweat of your face you will eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For dust you are and to dust you...