Christopher Columbus did establish a European presence in North America, which would eventually lead to the founding of the British colonies, which would in turn lead to the Revolutionary War and our country today. However, he did so in such a horrendous and terrible way, by enslaving a whole race of people just for his own personal economic and social gains. His actions have caused a multitude of suffering and grief that continues today. Indeed, Columbus's actions have truly been a decrescendo that started since he and his crew stepped foot off the Niña, Pinta, and Santa María.
Columbus singlehandedly caused a genocide of the Native American people, with an estimated 90% dead from the diseases the Europeans brought. The Native Americans were still prejudiced against centuries later, with being seen as inferior to white people. As Americans expanded west due to "manifest destiny," the Native Americans were pushed out of their home in which they had been living for centuries, to desolate, unwanted land.
The most terrible tragedy known to the Native Americans was Andrew Jackson's Indian Removal Policy, which forced many Native American tribes such as the Cherokee, Seminole, and Choctaw nations to relocate to designated "Indian Territory," in what is now Oklahoma. They were forced to march 2,200 miles in terrible conditions, and 4,000 died because of hunger, cold, and disease. They were uprooted from their homes, separated from their families, and lost most of what they had known. All of this was a direct result of Columbus. If he hadn't treated them like they were worthless, then perhaps there would've been a more symbiotic relationship between Americans and Native Americans.
Overall, Columbus Day should ultimately be replaced with Indigenous Peoples' Day in order to start the healing process. In the NPR article "Indigenous Peoples' Day Gains Momentum As A Replacement For Columbus Day," Lakota activist Bill Means sums it up in these sentences: "[Columbus] represents the mascot of American colonialism in the Western Hemisphere. And so it is time that we change a myth of history."
I agree with the ideas expressed in your writing, I believe Columbus did lead to the accomplished something great by introducing North America to Europeans but also the idea that many neglect the fact that he treated the Natives so horribly. Although I believe he is credited too much because as children, we are given the nice and friendly version so I'm in agreement of renaming Columbus Day.
ReplyDeleteI like the use of examples in your writing such as the Indian Removal policy. It adds a valid point to your argument and strengthens it as a whole. I agree with the fact that Columbus' glory is over-hyped in modern American society and that nobody should celebrate a man that caused so much pain. An Indigenous Peoples Day, while not a total solution, would be a better way to celebrate Native Americans than to idolize someone that caused their destruction.
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