Debate on Columbus Day Essay - 918 Words

To change Columbus Day to no longer be a holiday would be turning a blind eye to a difficult history, yet still turning that eye away from a history with a side to be celebrated. I instead ask of you to celebrate Columbus Day, learn the full history, including the wrong doings of Columbus and his crew, and celebrate the good change brought about by this event that ultimately led to the lifestyle you lead today. If the wrongs of every event in history were to be scrutinized would we have a history left to celebrate? Think of the reasons why we celebrate a moment in history, and then think why we have not excluded that from our celebrations. I believe it is to celebrate the good times and the bad and to never forget why we are here in this†¦show more content†¦Even when we look at something in a holiday that isn’t negative, like the Christmas tree, which there aren’t conifers in Jerusalem, it shows how much our holidays can be skewed from a tradition which was or iginally practiced. Even the other holidays honoring great men can have a darker side. MLK day for example; Martin Luther King, or Michael Luther King, was under scrutiny because his doctorate had blatant plagiarism, also his â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech was plagiarized from a pastor from his church he attended. This shows that history and the light we view people in can be skewed to retain the honor or the pomp and circumstance that comes with remembering the good brought about by their achievements. Beyond the fact that Columbus was not the first person to discover the Americas, he was the man that brought about European civilization to America and their fascination with conquering a new world. His wrong doings, which include, letting his crew rape, pillage and plunder the Bahamas, should not outweigh the good that coming to America brought for us as Americans who, without European influence may not have progressed quite as far or in the circumstances we did. As with the Colombian exchange that was brought about by Columbus’ venture to the Americas it is a box of good and evil. With the disease and captured indigenous people, the Columbian Exchange brought a trade of new plants and animals and ideas to furtherShow MoreRelated Columbus Day Debate Essay695 Words   |  3 Pages nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;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 andRead MoreEssay on The Debate about Honoring Christopher Columbus512 Words   |  3 Pagesthe great explorer who discovered America, Christopher Columbus. Tales of his many voyages and the names of his ships the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria are engrained into the minds of children through rhyme and song. For many years the history written in text books have been regard as fact however information provided by Howard Zinn excerpt has shed new light on the shadowy past of Christopher Columbus. In recent history, Christopher Columbus has been regarded as a great explorer renowned for hisRead MoreWe Should Abolish Columbus Day1389 Words   |  6 Pages2016 We Should Abolish Columbus Day Only two federal holidays in the United States bear the name of two specific men, ironically one of them fought racism -- Martin Luther King Jr., and the other was a genocidal racist – Chistopher Columbus. Opposition to Columbus Day (observed on the second Monday of October) has intensified in recent decades, while the former passes each year with relatively little controversy. The issue of if we should still celebrate Columbus Day is widely discussed. 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However, he sailed the opposite direction of his intended g oal by crossing the Atlantic and landing in the Americas, resulting in the discovery of the New World for Spain. Like all major figures in history, Columbus has left behind a legacy that people will always remember him for. The natureRead MoreHow Do Americans View George Washington and Christopher Columbus Today?772 Words   |  4 PagesWashington had an impact on America during the late 1700’s, and Columbus had an impact on what he hoped was the West Indies in the late 1400’s and early 1500’s. George Washington and Christopher Columbus are viewed in two complete different ways. Columbus found America and brought the early English settlements over. Washington helped found our country. However even though both men affected our country both are viewed differently than today. George Washington set a legacy that we are still followingRead MoreChristopher Columbus s The New World1619 Words   |  7 PagesThe Federal holiday of ‘Christopher Columbus Day’ is celebrated on the second Monday of October because of Columbus’s ‘discoveries’ of the Americas in the New World. What most people do not know is that Christopher Columbus’s intentions were only for the betterment of himself. Columbus was a devout Catholic and could have been looking to spread the word of God to the ‘Indies’, his main goal was to find a water route from Europe to the West Indies. How did Christopher Columbus’s motives impact theRead MoreChristopher Columbus A Hero And Founder Of The New World1569 Words   |  7 PagesWas Christopher Columbus a hero and founder of the new world or villainous destroyer of indigenous people? There is much controversy and debate around this man. Many people believe that Columbus’s discoverie s were falsified or over exaggerated and that his misdeeds are left untold. Others believe that he was a great explorer and was responsible for the discovery and shaping of the new world. Is Christopher Columbus the brave explorer who ushered in the â€Å"age of exploration†, or was he the brutal andRead MoreMartin Luther Pros914 Words   |  4 Pages The lives and choices of Christopher Columbus, Suleiman I, and Martin Luther were all exceptionally sagacious, but one man had the self-motivation to speak of his own ideas. Sent by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, Christopher Columbus sailed across the Atlantic Ocean in 1492 in search of India. The nobles were hoping to find new land that Spain could take under their control and organize the new settlement with an economy functioning under mercantilism. Moving on, Suleiman I was