Peter J. Sanfaçon
Mrs. Floeckher
English 2 Honors
Framingham High School
15 December 2008
Columbus Day: Celebrating the Invasion of America
Christopher Columbus sailed from Europe in 1492 to America in search of a western path to the Orient. On his way to the Orient, he ran into the Western Hemisphere, where he "discovered" Hispaniola. Columbus is famous for discovering North America, when he did not. Christopher Columbus also greatly mistreated the Natives. He enslaved some and killed others. Christopher Columbus does not deserve a holiday because he enslaved Native Americans, he is credited with "discovering" America but he never set foot on the U.S. mainland, and Native Americans see the decades-long celebration of Christopher Columbus as an insult.
Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer in the fifteenth century who "discovered" America. Columbus was notorious to the natives for taking some of them as captives. "…Columbus had seized and kidnapped Indian men, women and children throughout his first voyage…" (Stannard 66). When he first arrived in Hispaniola in 1492, Columbus took captive twelve natives. Only six survived the trip back to Europe, and only two of those six survived the next six months. But Columbus did not stop there. Colonists in Spanish "…caravels…gathered together…1600 people male and female of those Indians, of whom, among the best males and females…" (Stannard 67). The mistreatment of Native Americans is still happening today, as Natives themselves see it. "Our peoples have struggled, through sacrifice, through misery, for all these five hundred years" (Wright 274). Native Americans have been mistreated for centuries and are still mistreated.
The Indians believed that the Europeans took their land from them. "They have robbed us of our lands, they have stripped us of a great part of our whole view of life and of the universe" (Wright 272). Columbus and other European colonists have taken the natives' land from them along with their beliefs and their lives. Many Americans do not know of Columbus' true identity. "…the true history of Columbus is not being taught in our nation's schools, where there is no mention of the explorer's inhuman treatment of the Indian people" (Murg). What is taught in schools across the U.S. is that Columbus "discovered" America, which is not completely true. Americans are ignorant of this fact. "I think nobody on earth is so devoid of patriotism, of nationalism, of identity, that he would celebrate an invasion" (Wright 274). If Americans knew the truth of Columbus, they would not celebrate him. Considering that Indians were here first, it's only fitting that they possess part of the land. "It is the Indians' historical right to possess a part of this continent" (Wright 273). The Indians had been in the Americas long before Europeans came. The Indians deserve to be part of this United States. Not only was Columbus a pirate, but also Americans celebrate him every year, and this offends Indians.
Columbus Day is celebrated every year on the second Monday of October, which celebrates the "discovery" of the Americas. "Discovery" is in quotations because there were already people living in the Americas when Columbus came along. He did not truly discover America. "…discovery has been…a legal and political term of art used to rationalize the European theft of Indian territories in the Americas" (Morris). They call it "discovery" to cover up the fact that it was just taken from the natives. Europeans took the land because they saw that it was theirs to take. This shows their ignorance.
"Columbus Day has become the U.S. holiday that celebrates the imperialist redemption of America from Indian 'savagery'" (Morris). The Europeans believed that they deserve it more than the natives themselves. The true meaning of the celebration of Columbus Day is celebrating theft and genocide. "…it celebrates invasion and domination, especially of indigenous peoples; territories; second, and much more importantly, it celebrates the invention and the legal institutionalization of the 'doctrine of discovery'" (Morris). Columbus and his men invaded and took the land from the natives. They believe that if they discovered it, then they have the right to take it, even though there were natives living there beforehand. Columbus Day celebrates theft of land. "…the taking of nearly 2 billion acres of indigenous territory, by the invading 'civilized, Christian, Europeans.'" (Morris). The Europeans took most of the U.S. right away from the natives. Europeans never belonged in the Americas. "Luther Standing Bear wrote in 1933 that 'The man from Europe is still a foreigner and an alien. And he still hates the man who questioned his path across the continent.' The United States has created Columbus Day to rationalize its historical crimes against indigenous peoples" (Morris).
Though Europeans have colonized America and have been living there for five hundred years, they still do not belong in America. Manifest Destiny was an important concept in the invasion of the western world. "Manifest Destiny advanced the idea that God had given the white race permission to take possession of all of North America, while necessarily destroying Native peoples in the process" (Morris). The Europeans truly believed that God allowed them to take land from the natives. Because of this, Native Americans are offended when Columbus Day is celebrated.
Many Native Americans today are offended by Columbus Day. Columbus Day is a paid holiday. "Mike L. Graham, founder of the United Native America group is calling for people to contact their federal and state representatives and ask them to draft a bill to stop using taxpayer's money to support the Columbus Day federal holiday" (Murg). Indians do not think that Columbus Day should be a paid holiday. Native Americans are not well known because they are not included in the media, including television. "Graham feels that the government's near extermination of Natives does not make it right for the race to be excluded from the media" (Murg). There are almost no examples of Native Americans in the media including TV. Of all the people in history, Indians deserve a holiday far more than Columbus himself. "Graham…wants to stop Columbus Day and start a National Indigenous Peoples Holiday" (Murg). Graham believes, along with many other Native Americans, that Indians deserve a holiday more than Columbus.
A main part of the Native Americans being offended are the offensive Indian mascots. "'…throughout the national sports industry, even though they want to use our heritage to 'honor' us, they don't send one scout to our Indian schools to draft players to come on to their team'" (Graham by Murg). Native American mascots are offensive and yet the sports teams make no attempt to "honor" Indians by drafting Indian players. Certain races have been given rights, but the Native Americans are still deprived of some rights. "'Scouts have been fired because African-American communities have complained that scouts haven't come to their communities to scout for them…That's not being done in the American Indian community either'" (Murg). African Americans have been given certain rights that Native Americans have not. "Glenn Morris…said 'the legacy of Columbus is the source of every single problem in this country'" (Berry).
The racism towards Native Americans ruins many morals in the United States. The children of today deserve to know the truth about Columbus. "A popular maxim in Indian country, based on the Iroquoian principle, is that we must make decisions based on how they will affect the next seven generations. If we do not begin seriously to dismantle the doctrine of discovery, Columbus Day and the Columbian legacy, then we will be betraying our responsibility to the seventh generation, and we may well be ensuring their destruction" (Morris). If the proper history of Columbus is not taught to future generations, then this generation would be lying to the next. Native Americans are insulted when Columbus is mentioned as a "hero". Native Americans are insulted by Columbus Day because Columbus took their land and heritage from them. Columbus day should be removed as a national holiday. "The removal of Columbus Day will not solve all of the problems in Indian country, but it will begin to call into question the legitimacy of the racist legal, cultural and political doctrines that continue to deny Native people freedom in our own homeland" (Morris). If Columbus Day were removed as a National holiday, then this would mean that the United States has recognized the wrong that has been committed by Columbus and his successors. A new page in history would have been turned. Some natives are speaking out against Columbus Day, while others are acting.
Some Indians today are protesting Columbus Day all over the United States. There are various nationalities that possess their own holidays, but Native Americans do not. "Graham would also like to start a Native American Holiday because he feels if any ethnic group deserves a holiday in America, it's the Native people" (Murg). Indians have gone through much suffering over the past five centuries and they believe that they deserve a holiday for all they have endured. Native Americans are joining together to rid the United States of Columbus Day step by step."' We have an online petition right now, we set it up a little over a year and a half ago, and we have close to 32,000 signatures on it calling for the end of Columbus Day as a tax paid holiday,' Graham said" (Murg) Multiple petitions are being signed that in some way rid Columbus Day of its holiday status. Some states are already agreeing with these petitions and protests. "Seventeen states have dropped Columbus Day as a state paid holiday" (Murg). Soon, more states will follow and eventually all of the United States will have dropped Columbus Day as a state paid holiday.
Other petitions for other Indian rights are being issued. "More than 31,000 people have signed [Graham's] online petition, which also calls for congressional and/or senate hearings to look into the racial exclusion of Native Americans in the television, movie, news media, music, and sports industries" (Murg). Graham also issued this petition that may eventually create more media opportunities for Indians down the road. Native Americans are also physically protesting. "Thirteen indigenous women briefly halted the city's annual Columbus Day parade in front of the state Capitol on Oct. 11 to read an initiative seeking reconciliation with parade organizers and participants" (Berry). Indian women were protesting the Columbus Day parade in Denver to state that they have had enough of the holiday. The previous year, the protesting led to arrests. "The Columbus Day parade in Denver last year resulted in more than 80 arrests for civil disobedience that resulted in misdemeanor charges of obstructing the parade route" (Berry). Most natives feel strongly enough about the eradication of Columbus Day that they would go as far as being arrested to deliver their point to the citizens of the United States. Columbus Day is very negative in the eyes of Native Americans. They strongly believe that Columbus does not deserve a holiday for all that he did to their people.
Christopher Columbus does not deserve a holiday because he captured and killed many Indians. He disrespected the Native Americans right to their land. Most Indians today believe that Columbus Day is an insult to their culture. Columbus and his followers tried to force their beliefs on the Indians. If they did not comply, they would be killed. Christopher Columbus should not be remembered as a "hero", but as an invader and a killer.
Works Cited
Berry, Carol. "Indigenous women confront Columbus Day parade". Indian Country Today 10 September 2008. Broadcast Interactive Media.
Morris, Glenn. "How Columbus Day harms American Indians". Indian Country Today 10 September 2008. Broadcast Interactive Media. 7 November 2008.
Murg, Wilhelm. "A call to stop Columbus Day". Indian Country Today 10 September 2008. Broadcast Interactive Media. 11 November 2008.
Stannard, David E. American Holocaust. New York City, NY: Oxford University Press, 1992. 66-67
Wright, Ronald. Stolen Continents. Ed. Peter Davison. New York City, NY: Houghton Mifflin, 1992. 272-274.