Columbus Day: Does Columbus Really Deserve It?

   “In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” Most Americans remember this historical rhyme every Columbus day when everyone gets to stay home and celebrate America’s discovery. But was it really discovered by Christopher Columbus, an Italian explorer that sailed to America under the supervision of the Spanish monarchy? In fact, America wasn’t first found by Columbus. He also wasn’t a very kind explorer. Nor was he the visionary many believe that he was. Although Christopher Columbus opened trade routes between Europe and what he thought were the Indies, he was mistaken in some of his views of the world, at times credited with false accomplishments, and contributed to the destruction of the Native American population in the Bahamas.

   Christopher Columbus was a talented explorer, but many of his beliefs weren’t accurate. First of all, for Christopher’s entire life he believed that he had landed in the Indies, the areas of south and southeast Asia. This misconception led to the natives he discovered living peacefully in the Bahamas, where he truly landed, to be labeled as ‘Indians’. Today, many people believe Columbus lived in a time where most Italians thought that the world is flat. But actually, about every educated European at that time new that the Earth is round. Columbus did, however, inaccurately estimate the size of the Earth. He believed that the Earth is much smaller than it is in reality. To put it in perspective, when he landed in America, instead of the Indies, he didn’t get confused because the land seemed exactly where it was supposed to be. Basically, he didn’t include two continents and the Pacific Ocean in his calculations. To quote Dr. Thomas C. Tirado, BBC, “Columbus went to his grave without the vaguest idea of which part of the world he had actually discovered.”

   Discoveries are always controversial. Especially in terms of areas of land, you can never truly know who first discovered something. With Columbus this problem still applies. When he explored the Bahamas, no one believed that he was the discoverer of two new continents. Sure, he found some islands. But everyone thought they were just part of the Indies. Later on, Europeans started to get excited when they realized that the Indies were really the soon-to-be-Americas. Unfortunately, Columbus had already passed away. Today, scientists have concluded that other Europeans had already found other parts of America. The Vikings have thorough proof of their involvement and scientists believe that other groups took part as well. Not to mention that natives had already inhabited the Americas for thousands of years. Christopher Columbus shouldn't be credited with the ‘discovery’ of America.

   When Columbus stepped onto the sandy beach of some island in the Bahamas, he laid eyes upon people that looked very different from himself. Specifically, they had much darker skin. Columbus, as the racist that he was, decided that these less fortunate natives would make great slaves. That’s right: Christopher Columbus sent thousands of nonviolent Taino natives to Spain to be sold into slavery. Many of the Taino people died on the ships before even reaching Spain. Back in America, History.com says that “On his first day in the New World, he ordered six of the natives to be seized, writing in his journal that he believed they would be good servants.” He forced other natives to work on plantations or in mines to find gold later traded in the Columbian Exchange, the transportation and selling of plants, animals, and goods from the East to the West at that time. History.com also states that “Columbus and his teams treated the indigenous groups they came across as obstacles to their greater mission.” Obviously, he was not the nicest European explorer.

   Columbus was extremely violent towards the people he called ‘Indians’. After natives refused to convert to Christianity, severe punishments, commonly including torture and harsh brutality, were issued. Columbus killed rebels and ordered their bodies to be displayed as they were marched through the streets. Despite the diseases brought from Europe being mostly accidental, many native tribes were depleted from infectious disease like smallpox and influenza. As a result of the unfair and cruel treatment of the indigenous people, started by Columbus, warfare arose between Natives and Europeans and killed thousands of Native Americans. Thus, Christopher Columbus, directly or indirectly, caused the deaths of millions from murder and disease.

   In fact, other Europeans of that time noticed his horrible behavior. Around 1500 C. E., the Spanish royalty detained Columbus and his brother and forced them to leave ‘the Indies’. Christopher could no longer be governor of the area that he had ‘discovered’. When he later visited America for the last time, he had barely any social value in that area.

   Christopher Columbus impacted the world positively as well. He brought the Age of Exploration and started the Columbian Exchange. Columbus is actually the most celebrated explorer today. Historians say that his original routes to the Bahamas are still taken today. He was a fabulous sailor and appreciated the beautiful land he ‘discovered’, according to his journals. However, his horrendous actions and orders outweigh the good he did for the world.

   The debate on keeping Columbus Day has uncovered a new argument. Italian-Americans have argued that Columbus Day celebrates Italian-American heritage and honors the achievements of Columbus, according to History.com. Analogously, a Seattle native told the city council, “For decades, Italian-Americans celebrated not the man, but the symbol of Columbus Day. That symbol means we honor the legacy of our ancestors who immigrated to Seattle, overcame poverty, a language barrier, and above all, discrimination.” Honouring peoples’ Italian-American heritage and how their ancestors had to endure through their struggles is extremely important. However, Columbus Day doesn’t have to be the only day to celebrate your ancestry. Christopher Columbus was from Italy, but much of his exploration was spent with Spanish royalty or the Taino Native Americans. Another holiday could be made on a separate day, honouring those with Italian-American heritage, and not on a day celebrating a violent and unfair explorer and ex-governor.

   Yes, Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue and yes, it was in 1492. But he is widely believed to have achieved accomplishments that cannot actually be attributed to him. Columbus may have been a great explorer, but his ideas about what the world looked like and where he landed after his trip in 1492 were mainly wrong. Starting the Columbian Exchange was a mostly positive achievement, but he also contributed to the deaths and enslavements of millions of Native Americans. Columbus Day may be a day used to honour the Italian-American heritage of some Americans, but a separate holiday could be officialized to honour that ancestry. Whether Columbus Day is removed or changed to Indigenous Peoples’ Day, which “celebrates the contributions and culture of Native Americans and the indigenous community as well as the rich history of people who have inhabited the area”, according to the Smithsonian, Christopher Columbus does not deserve a day honouring false accomplishments, inaccurate views, and a person who caused the deaths of millions of innocent people.

Works Cited

History.com Staff. "Columbus Controversy." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 22 May 2018.

Tirado, Thomas C., Dr. "History - British History in Depth: Christopher Columbus and His Legacy." BBC. BBC, 17 Feb. 2011. Web. 22 May 2018.

"About the USA Holidays Columbus Day." About the USA Arts Music. U.S. Diplomatic Mission to Germany, n.d. Web. 22 May 2018.

History.com Staff. "Columbus Day 2018." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2010. Web. 22 May 2018.

Nuwer, Rachel. "Columbus Day Is Now Indigenous People's Day in Seattle And Minneapolis."Smithsonian.com. Smithsonian Institution, 07 Oct. 2014. Web. 22 May 2018.

"Think You Know The Real Christopher Columbus?" NPR. NPR, 10 Oct. 2011. Web. 22 May 2018.