My name is Jacobo Hajioannou. I am from the Bucks Country, and I am here to state my reasoning as to why Columbus Day should be kept a holiday. Both sides have strong points, and so do I. To start things off, I would like to explain what happened on October 8th, 1492.
Christopher Columbus was like any sailor or Europeans at the time; he was in search of something revolutionary. After the events of the Mongolians ruling the silk road, Europe was scattered everywhere on decisions. During the age of the silk road, many traders could safely trade products to others, most of these products being exclusive to such a specific climate and culture. Once the silk road was brought to the end, the Europeans were left dry with nothing. Nevertheless, they still found many things after this small depression. One of the many things they made were ships and compasses to explore the whole world!
The goal was to find a maritime route of trade to go back and forth to trade goods. Sounded simple enough. The big problem was, nobody, knew of the Pacific Ocean. In fact, they had no idea that North and South America existed. They wouldn’t be called this until another explorer came, and not many others would understand it. The original plan was to sail to India since most philosophers thought the world was round. They were right, but couldn’t predict continents in the way. It didn’t matter since America and the other lands mistakenly found had the resources needed.
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It would seem that the mission was a failure, this wasn’t the right land! Now the Europeans would sulk since they might not have had resources enough to make a second journey. This didn’t matter. When Christopher Columbus arrived in America, he called the Natives there Indians, and thought it was India! He had no idea this was a different land than what he thought only until his 3rd journey. They had everything he needed; spices, riches, and slaves! That last part is what people always remember as the bad part. Christopher Columbus needed proof and other products, but slaves were much more. They could work for him, find things for him, or even sail for them! It was a full plan to get all the “Indians” and turn them into working slaves!
This would be a great plan, but the Natives died off from the illnesses Christopher Columbus and his crew brought to them. He also killed Natives for disobeying him, not believing in Christianity, and other things. Since these slaves died, he needed new slaves. So, he went to Africa to get slaves. They were disease immune, good workers, and were easy to trade off for guns. These original Native slaves pretty much created the slaves we know from the Civil War. It would be now seen as an act that would create racism, stereotypes, bias, destruction, and death. Just because of Christopher Columbus and his despicable crew. Christopher Columbus Day is now seen as a day of controversy over who was wrong.
It was not until 1849, that the president passed this federal holiday as official. Times have changed, and people see right through the things he did well. He established a trade route and found new land! You could argue that someone else would find it, but let’s say Columbus found India. Everyone would want to take that route, and most likely wouldn’t want to find any other maritime route there. Fast forward many years, America would most likely be a 3rd world country without the inventions of the Europeans and ideas they brought. America wouldn’t be the same!
Not to mention, the whole fact he made the Natives slaves wasn’t entirely his fault. His generation comes from a time where they were put under rule by a gang and had to pay up to him to barter items they had. Perhaps some of the ideas Columbus had came from the Mongols? Either way, he still enslaved people. One important thing that you have to remember is that Christopher isn’t a perfect man. Nobody is. If every single detail were to be released about everyone famous you know, I am definitely sure perfectionists would point them out, and they would be just a dud in history who did something relevant. We have no idea how Columbus was raised, either. He could have seen some form of slavery as a young child. All it boils down to is human anatomy. Humans are quite selfish and lazy beings.
When given the chance to have someone perform a task for you then you do it your self. Same applies to any historical person with problems. Columbus simply wanted things he could get, and he sees these Natives as a way to get it. It was a simple mistake, and now in modern America, it had made us what we are today. Many people can argue Columbus was a horrid, terrible destroyer of the Native American culture. In the end, without his voyage, Aerica would just be a large island without the greatness that people cultivated.
