Essay On Columbus Day

Words: 857
Pages: 4
Open Document
“But the question remains, how did a man who never set foot on North America get a federal holiday in his name?”
Lakshmi Gandhi Christopher Columbus, a highly experienced Spanish explorer, was on the hunt to find the quickest trade route to Asia from Europe. With the help and financial support of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, on October 12, 1492, Christopher Columbus landed in the Bahama Islands, believing that he actually arrived in India. Undoubtedly, this landing marked the beginning of European colonization of the New World and years of exploitation and mistreat of Native Americas. The United States should not continue to have Columbus Day as a federal holiday because Columbus wasn’t the first explorer to reach the Americas, …show more content…
Indigenous people had been living in the “New World” for centuries by the time Columbus arrived in the Bahamas. With the news of Columbus’ findings being spread throughout Europe, his voyages caused a new found relationship between Europe and the Americas to develop. European nations were extremely enticed by all the wonders this new found land would hold which ultimately lead to the beginnings of the European colonization of the Americas. The Americas saw a drastic population decline with the arrival of the Europeans. Mexico’s native population decreased by 90 percent (20 million to under 2 million) while present day United States’ native population saw its population fall steadily until the 19th century. Indigenous people saw an overall loss of about 80 million people from European Contact (1/5th of the world's population at the time). Columbus’ voyage started a trend that has continued throughout history. Post European Age of Exploration, Native populations (specifically in the United States) have been stripped of their culture, persecuted, killed and forced off their land in order to make room for the societies that Columbus’ voyages has resulted in. This is one more reason in addition to why Columbus Day should not continue to be a federal
Show More

Related Documents: Essay On Columbus Day

Informative Essay: The Columbus Day

Columbus Day is an American holiday where many commemorate the expedition Christopher Columbus made in 1492. This is the day where the American people look back and reflect upon their heritage and acknowledge the hardships and trials faced to bringing about such a successful nation. Following Columbus’ voyage in 1492 came the exchange of people, food, disease, and technology form the Old World to the New World. Also referred to as the Colombian Exchange, it is undeniably one of the most underrated…

Words 244 - Pages 1

Columbus Day Indigenous Peoples Day Essay

officially turned Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day. This has been proposed in 2015 by Councilmen Mitch O’Farrel who said that Columbus used extreme violence, enslavement and brutality. People think of Christopher Columbus as a hero since he discovered the Americas when really he enslaved/killing people and even supervised the selling of young Native American girls into sexual slavery. Italian- Americans pleaded not to get rid of this holiday since Columbus was born in Genoa, on that day they celebrate…

Words 524 - Pages 3

Essay On Why We Should Not Celebrate Columbus Day

committed genocide should not be celebrated in the eyes of any reasonable person. Columbus Day, a national holiday, should not be celebrated in the United States (US) for three simple reasons, honesty, morality and exclusion. These three issues are the leading factors on why we should not celebrate Columbus Day. In all honesty, Christopher Columbus did not discover America. Across the US, our children are taught that Columbus discovered our noble land and claimed it for his country. Anyone with a good…

Words 774 - Pages 4

What Is The Quilt Of A Country By Anna Quindlen

Columbus High School and diversity in America have one thing in common; we come together like a quilt. In “Quilt of a Country”, Anna Quindlen compares America to a quilt because of all the different cultures coming together. The students of Columbus High also make a quilt. In her essay, Quindlen shows Americans can put aside their differences to reach one common goal just like Columbus High students do. Columbus students overcome their differences through football, school spirit, and academic achievement…

Words 555 - Pages 3

Columbus Forgotten And Spending Culture Summary

Fábián Réka EN-FI lll. 3175 / EN Dismantling dominant narratives Bell Hooks - Columbus: Gone but not Forgotten and Spending Culture: Marketing the black underclass Bell Hooks, or her by her birth name Gloria Jane Watkins was born in 1952 in Kentucky. Due to the segregation present in her life while growing up, especially living in the South, she experienced from a young age the difference in power and authority between white and black people. She adopted her pen name as a tribute to her maternal…

Words 1446 - Pages 6

Columbus and Cortes Essay

Matthew Johnson Lesson 2 Essay Assignment U.S. History One February 1, 2013 In the 16th century Spaniards Herman Cortes and Christopher Columbus set out on endeavoring journeys in search of new worlds. Christopher Columbus encountered, in the Caribbean islands, a group of extremely simplistic Native Americans. Herman Cortes however encountered a much more advanced Native American group in Meso America; we formally know this area to be Mexico. In my essay I will be comparing and contrasting several…

Words 1068 - Pages 5

Christopher Columbus Essay

Miranda Downs Week 4 Essay In 1492, Columbus Sailed The Ocean Blue August 3, 1492, Columbus sailed from port of Palos, Spain, with three ships, one larger ship, Santa María, nicknamed Gallega (the Gallician), and two smaller vessels, Santa Clara, nicknamed Niña (the Girl), and the Pinta (the Painted). As it is so often stated, the rest is history. For centuries, the history books have lead many people to believe the misconception that Columbus was America’s great discoverer. Unfortunately, this…

Words 855 - Pages 4

Christopher Columbus Essay

12.01.10 Eng 24- D18D Fall semester Exposing Christopher Columbus Have you wondered how Christopher Columbus became so popular? Or maybe challenged what you know about him? Well if not I have, after reading “LIES MY TEACHER TOLD ME” by JAMES W. LOEW I felt like my views of a hero were based on lies of omission. I felt growing up when teachers taught student from the textbook they made us believe that Christopher Columbus was a well rounded, respectable Hero but now that I am older I feel…

Words 635 - Pages 3

Compare And Contrast Columbus And Lindbergh

Columbus and Lindbergh both made successful journey’s across the Atlantic Ocean. Christopher Columbus left Pablos,Spain on August 3rd 1492. He brought 3 ships along with him. The Pinta,The Nina and The Santa Maria. His goal was to go to India and China to trade for spices and gold. He found the Bahamas, and then North America. Charles Lindbergh was known for his 3,610 mile flight in thirty four. hours, making him the first man to successfully fly over the Atlantic Ocean non-stop. His plane was the…

Words 691 - Pages 3

Analysis Of 1491 Article

vanishing. The reality of actually breathing once people suddenly dead. While looking through several website, one way that helped me to initiate my research process, was looking through readers’ reviews of “1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus” book. My focus was on different arguments that readers fixated on. Online book store reviews such as Amazon and Barnes&Noble, we briefly skimmed through. Now with several ideas in mind, I then moved on to Metrostate Library Database, where I…

Words 653 - Pages 3