Columbus Day and Controversy
Today is Columbus Day. This is one of those federal holidays that most of us take for granted, but there’s a whole lot to it. Here’s what you need to know.
U.S. History
The first recorded celebration honoring the discovery of America by Europeans (and in particular, Columbus) took place on October 12, 1792 in New York City. The event, which celebrated the 300th anniversary of Columbus’ landing in the New World, was organized by The Society of St. Tammany (also known as the Columbian Order). San Francisco’s Italian community (Columbus was Italian and so is the author of this post) held its first Columbus Day celebration in 1869. In 1892, President Benjamin Harrison urged citizens to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ first voyage. (Note: it was during this event that the Pledge of Allegiance, written by Francis Bellamy, was recited publicly for the first time.) In 1937, President Roosevelt proclaimed October 12 as “Columbus Day” and in 1971, President Nixon declared the second Monday of October a national holiday.1
Latin America (the Counter-Columbus Day)
For many Latin countries, Columbus’ arrival in the Americas is viewed as damaging to the native races and thus the day is celebrated as a holiday of resistance. In most Latin countries, the day is celebrated as Dia de la Raza (“Day of the Race”), wherein the native races are honored. In Spain, they celebrate Fiesta Nacional (“National Day”). In Venezuela, they know the day as Dia de la Resistencia Indigena (“Day of Indigenous Resistance”). Regardless of the name, the day often serves as rallying cry for Latino activists.
Controversial Columbus?
The celebration of Columbus Day is not without controversy here in the U.S. and in broader Latin America. Protestors claim that Columbus was so focused on his mission to find riches and conquer new lands that his teams treated the indigenous groups they came across as mere obstacles. Columbus is accused of violence, slavery, genocide, the forced conversion of native peoples to Christianity, and the introduction of a host of new diseases that had dramatic long-term effects on native people in the Americas. Historians have uncovered evidence of the damage wreaked by Columbus and his teams, leading to a more recent outcry over emphasis placed upon studying and celebrating Columbus in schools and public celebrations. Supporters, however, claim that Columbus’ efforts led to a civilization of the West, bringing “reason, science, self-reliance, individualism, ambition, and productive achievement” to a people who were based in “primitivism, mysticism, and collectivism”, and to a land that was “sparsely inhabited, unused, and underdeveloped.”2
Regardless of your views, Columbus Day makes for a compelling Dinner Topic and offers an important opportunity for all Americans to learn a little more about the Age of Exploration and the transformations it provoked.
Read on:
- http://www.history.com/content/columbusday/holiday-history ↩
- Blackfoot Physics: A Journey Into The Native American Universe, by F. David Peat, Weiser, 2005, ISBN 1578633710, pg 310 ↩
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this sucks i dont get it