Why Do We Celebrate Columbus Day?

[Flopper]

It’s time again to honor the great man that discovered America. To me this has always seemed a bit strange since he did not discover America and his greatness is certainly debatable.

Leif Ericson landed on our shores 500 years before Columbus. There exists cartographic evidence, according to cartographic expert Armando Cortesao, that Portuguese explorers visited the Americas and mapped the area in 1424. There is also evidence of other early explorers reaching our shores. Of course we always discount the first real discovers of American, the native Americans.

Well, as far as a being a great man…. He was a slave trader who heartlessly took men and women away form their families in order lessen his failure to find a new trade route. He oversaw and participated in the rape and murder of innocent villagers. His contemporaries despised him. As governor of Santo Domingo on Hispaniola, he was a despot who kept all profits for himself and his brothers, and was loathed by the colonists whose lives he controlled. Attempts were made on his life and he was actually sent back to Spain in chains at one point after his third voyage. During his fourth voyage, he and his men were stranded on Jamaica for a year where his ships rotted: no one wanted to travel there from Hispaniola to save him. He was also a cheapskate: after promising a reward to whomever spotted land first on his 1492 voyage, he refused to pay up when sailor Rodrigo de Triana did so, giving the reward to himself instead because he had seen a “glow” the night before. However, one of the greatest curses he brought to American was smallpox which killed as much as 400,000 native Americans. A great man, I don't think so.

Previously, elevation of Columbus to a hero caused people to name cities (and a country, Colombia) after him and many places still celebrate Columbus Day, but now days people tend to see Columbus for what he really was: a brave, but very flawed, human being. Frankly, I just can't figure why we set aside a special day in his honor.

Who Discovered America? Not Christopher Columbus, That's for Certain - Associated Content - associatedcontent.com
The Truth About Christopher Columbus
AmericanHeritage.com / Christopher Columbus, Hero and Villain

 

[Woyzeck]

A day off is a day off.

I myself have never particularly liked Columbus, certainly not enough to give him his own holiday. Granted, the man was a product of his time, as we all are, but there are other and better historical figures to celebrate then him. He's really just a crown example of the washing out of historical figures.

If you want someone to admire from the colonial period, I recommend Las Casas.

 

[Ragnar]

Capitalism Magazine - The Christopher Columbus Controversy: Western Civilization vs. Primitivism

Capitalism Magazine - Christopher Columbus: Multiculturalism vs. Objective History

 

[Leweman]

Geeze I thought asian americans had been here for thousands of years before columbus. Not to mention Columbus didn't even land on current American soil.

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

It pretty much seems like a worthless holiday. Besides, the American continents are named after Amerigo Vespucci.

 

[Woyzeck]

Capitalism Magazine - The Christopher Columbus Controversy: Western Civilization vs. Primitivism

Capitalism Magazine - Christopher Columbus: Multiculturalism vs. Objective History

Wow. What pieces of poorly-written, masturbatory garbage. I especially like how they say Columbus should be excused for not holding modern values, but then look down upon the Native Americans for having non-Western values.

I hope someone brought a tube-sock.

 

[Ragnar]

Capitalism Magazine - The Christopher Columbus Controversy: Western Civilization vs. Primitivism

Capitalism Magazine - Christopher Columbus: Multiculturalism vs. Objective History

Wow. What pieces of poorly-written, masturbatory garbage. I especially like how they say Columbus should be excused for not holding modern values, but then look down upon the Native Americans for having non-Western values.

I hope someone brought a tube-sock.

It does not "look down upon the Native Americans". It simply points out how Columbus awakened Western Europe to the Americas and aided in eventual development of an objectively superior culture. There's also the added benefit of pointing out the inherent racism of multiculturalism.

Mostly it just answers the thread title.

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

Wow. What pieces of poorly-written, masturbatory garbage. I especially like how they say Columbus should be excused for not holding modern values, but then look down upon the Native Americans for having non-Western values.

I hope someone brought a tube-sock.

If it weren't for Columbus you would have never been born.

 

[Ravi]

Capitalism Magazine - The Christopher Columbus Controversy: Western Civilization vs. Primitivism

Capitalism Magazine - Christopher Columbus: Multiculturalism vs. Objective History

Wow. What pieces of poorly-written, masturbatory garbage. I especially like how they say Columbus should be excused for not holding modern values, but then look down upon the Native Americans for having non-Western values.

I hope someone brought a tube-sock.

It does not "look down upon the Native Americans". It simply points out how Columbus awakened Western Europe to the Americas and aided in eventual development of an objectively superior culture. There's also the added benefit of pointing out the inherent racism of multiculturalism.

Mostly it just answers the thread title.

I didn't read it...can you sum that up in your own words?

 

[Ragnar]

Wow. What pieces of poorly-written, masturbatory garbage. I especially like how they say Columbus should be excused for not holding modern values, but then look down upon the Native Americans for having non-Western values.

I hope someone brought a tube-sock.

If it weren't for Columbus you would have never been born.

I can't tell if you are for or against the celebration of Columbus day based on the birth of Woyzeck though IMHO the birth of Woyzeck does seem to undermine my "pro-celebrate" view.

Hmmm

 

[Ragnar]

Wow. What pieces of poorly-written, masturbatory garbage. I especially like how they say Columbus should be excused for not holding modern values, but then look down upon the Native Americans for having non-Western values.

I hope someone brought a tube-sock.

It does not "look down upon the Native Americans". It simply points out how Columbus awakened Western Europe to the Americas and aided in eventual development of an objectively superior culture. There's also the added benefit of pointing out the inherent racism of multiculturalism.

Mostly it just answers the thread title.

I didn't read it...can you sum that up in your own words?

Multiculturalism teaches, not a history of all cultures but an equality of all cultures without regard to reality. (which is defined objectively) Typically multiculturalist teach the same grab bag of anti-capitalist and anti-western garbage in a new name. The irony of course is that while teaching in multi-culti that "western values" are no better than Native American or Chinese, or African or Eskimo values... only "Western Civilization" ("reason, science, self-reliance, individualism, ambition, productive achievement") could come up with something as insidious as Multiculturalism. lol

 

[Woyzeck]

Capitalism Magazine - The Christopher Columbus Controversy: Western Civilization vs. Primitivism

Capitalism Magazine - Christopher Columbus: Multiculturalism vs. Objective History

Wow. What pieces of poorly-written, masturbatory garbage. I especially like how they say Columbus should be excused for not holding modern values, but then look down upon the Native Americans for having non-Western values.

I hope someone brought a tube-sock.

It does not "look down upon the Native Americans". It simply points out how Columbus awakened Western Europe to the Americas and aided in eventual development of an objectively superior culture. There's also the added benefit of pointing out the inherent racism of multiculturalism.

Mostly it just answers the thread title.

Yeah, it does:

Did Columbus "discover" America? Yes -- in every important respect. This does not mean that no human eye had been cast on America before Columbus arrived. It does mean that Columbus brought America to the attention of the civilized world, i.e., to the growing, scientific civilizations of Western Europe.

Hilariously, it neglects to mention we spent most of our time playing catch up to China. It also completely ignores not only China and Asian civilizations, but the cultures like the Aztecs and Incas.

The problem is, that statement is flat out bullshit. Europe wasn't the center of the civilized world at the time, China was. Columbus' entire point of sailing west through the Atlantic was to get to China so Europe wouldn't get shafted by using the traditional routes.

Europe wasn't that scientific either, science doesn't undergo a revolution in Europe for another century or two. And some of the inventions that aided exploration were cribbed from non-European civilizations.

It's also good to note, the other article apparently holds up the Native American societies within the boundaries of the modern United States as representative of all Native Americans within the Americas. It forgets that there were more developed civilizations to the south which got nixed when the Europeans arrived.

Furthermore, in the same paragraph, they extol later modern European virtues, instead of comparing the same ones at the time. Hardly fair, wouldn't you say? Things like "reason, science, individualism, freedom, rule of law, capitalism and industry-technology." Most of which didn't exist as notions or reality until later in history. The scientific revolution wouldn't come until later, modern capitalism doesn't come along until later. Freedom, reason, well that was hardly common-place in Europe in 1492. Industry-technology? Assuming it means industrial technology, Europe wasn't the only place with it, unless it means the Industrial Revolution which is three centuries later than the period. Rule of law? So only Western Europe at the time had laws? No other civilization on Earth did?

Try telling me all that doesn't look down on the Native Americans or anyone else for that matter. It's still masturbatory garbage.

Wow. What pieces of poorly-written, masturbatory garbage. I especially like how they say Columbus should be excused for not holding modern values, but then look down upon the Native Americans for having non-Western values.

I hope someone brought a tube-sock.

If it weren't for Columbus you would have never been born.

Right. He was the only explorer with the skill to discover an entire continent. Those things are so hard to find, I mean, it's not like the American continent goes from nearly pole to pole or anything. Truly without him, Europeans would have never come across the Americas.

Riiiiight.

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

Wow. What pieces of poorly-written, masturbatory garbage. I especially like how they say Columbus should be excused for not holding modern values, but then look down upon the Native Americans for having non-Western values.

I hope someone brought a tube-sock.

If it weren't for Columbus you would have never been born.

Right. He was the only explorer with the skill to discover an entire continent. Those things are so hard to find, I mean, it's not like the American continent goes from nearly pole to pole or anything. Truly without him, Europeans would have never come across the Americas.

Riiiiight.

Sure they would have come at some point, but when? It would have thrown off the entire time line of what we consider history to be and it's more than probable that the vast majority of us in this country would have never existed as a result.

 

[BlindBoo]

Capitalism Magazine - The Christopher Columbus Controversy: Western Civilization vs. Primitivism

Capitalism Magazine - Christopher Columbus: Multiculturalism vs. Objective History

"Columbus is routinely vilified as a symbol of slavery and genocide, and the celebration of his arrival likened to a celebration of Hitler and the Holocaust."

Indeed. Do you know that by 1535, the original inhabitants of La Isla Española were virtually extinct, and were completely extinct a generation later. Not a quick as Hitlers "Final Solution" but certainly just as ruthless. They would often hunt down natives for sport.

Columbus, The Original American Hero

"It does mean that Columbus brought America to the attention of the civilized world"

No nothing could be further from the truth. Europe was the center of barbarism, warfare and general misery. It was an overcrowded, disease infested world whose raw materials had all been used up. It was the advances in warefare (amor, gun powder) that won the day. It was the need for raw material that drove the expantion. Not the noble deeds, thoughts or words of Aristotle, Galileo, Newton....ect.

We know very little about the state of the natives civilization because it was all destroyed. We'll never knows what was destroyed back then by the barbaric hoards and religious zealots.

 

[Ragnar]

Capitalism Magazine - The Christopher Columbus Controversy: Western Civilization vs. Primitivism

Capitalism Magazine - Christopher Columbus: Multiculturalism vs. Objective History

"Columbus is routinely vilified as a symbol of slavery and genocide, and the celebration of his arrival likened to a celebration of Hitler and the Holocaust."

Indeed. Do you know that by 1535, the original inhabitants of La Isla Española were virtually extinct, and were completely extinct a generation later. Not a quick as Hitlers "Final Solution" but certainly just as ruthless. They would often hunt down natives for sport.

Columbus, The Original American Hero

"It does mean that Columbus brought America to the attention of the civilized world"

No nothing could be further from the truth. Europe was the center of barbarism, warfare and general misery. It was an overcrowded, disease infested world whose raw materials had all been used up. It was the advances in warefare (amor, gun powder) that won the day. It was the need for raw material that drove the expantion. Not the noble deeds, thoughts or words of Aristotle, Galileo, Newton....ect.

We know very little about the state of the natives civilization because it was all destroyed. We'll never knows what was destroyed back then by the barbaric hoards and religious zealots.

"barbarism, warfare and general misery"

Boo-hoo

We know very little about the state of the native's civilization because they had so little of it. They had barbarism, warfare and misery long before Western Europe showed up.

Columbus Day the holiday (likely of the Italian American lobby, lol, look at multi-culti me) in the United States of America is about the opening of the New World to a new way to live in it for all mankind. It's a celebration of Western philosophy that followed quickly upon discovery. Discovery, the Age of Reason and the Age of Enlightenment all made the USA possible in their path.

 

[Flopper]

A day off is a day off.

I myself have never particularly liked Columbus, certainly not enough to give him his own holiday. Granted, the man was a product of his time, as we all are, but there are other and better historical figures to celebrate then him. He's really just a crown example of the washing out of historical figures.

If you want someone to admire from the colonial period, I recommend Las Casas.

I read your link. You're right. Las Casas is someone to be admired.

 

[Flopper]

Capitalism Magazine - The Christopher Columbus Controversy: Western Civilization vs. Primitivism

Capitalism Magazine - Christopher Columbus: Multiculturalism vs. Objective History

"Columbus is routinely vilified as a symbol of slavery and genocide, and the celebration of his arrival likened to a celebration of Hitler and the Holocaust."

Indeed. Do you know that by 1535, the original inhabitants of La Isla Española were virtually extinct, and were completely extinct a generation later. Not a quick as Hitlers "Final Solution" but certainly just as ruthless. They would often hunt down natives for sport.

Columbus, The Original American Hero

"It does mean that Columbus brought America to the attention of the civilized world"

No nothing could be further from the truth. Europe was the center of barbarism, warfare and general misery. It was an overcrowded, disease infested world whose raw materials had all been used up. It was the advances in warefare (amor, gun powder) that won the day. It was the need for raw material that drove the expantion. Not the noble deeds, thoughts or words of Aristotle, Galileo, Newton....ect.

We know very little about the state of the natives civilization because it was all destroyed. We'll never knows what was destroyed back then by the barbaric hoards and religious zealots.

"barbarism, warfare and general misery"

Boo-hoo

We know very little about the state of the native's civilization because they had so little of it. They had barbarism, warfare and misery long before Western Europe showed up.

Columbus Day the holiday (likely of the Italian American lobby, lol, look at multi-culti me) in the United States of America is about the opening of the New World to a new way to live in it for all mankind. It's a celebration of Western philosophy that followed quickly upon discovery. Discovery, the Age of Reason and the Age of Enlightenment all made the USA possible in their path.

People have celebrated Columbus's voyage since as early as the 16th century. It was unofficially celebrated in the mid 1800's but what really gave old Columbus a shot in the arm was the Columbian Exposition of 1893, also known as the Chicago World's Fair. The exposition had a number of art works featuring Columbus as well as much historical material, much of it was more drama than fact. The exposition was such a big deal that the post office issued the first set of commemoratives stamps and the mint issued a set of commemorative coins all which were insanely popular.

After the Expo, Columbus day celebrations became very popular not just in the US but much of Central America. It was not until 1930 that Calvin Coolege recognized Lief Erikson as the real discoverer of America, but it was too lake, Christopher Columbus was now too entrenched in American history and folklore and in 1938, Congress made Oct. 12th Christopher Columbus Day. But Lief was not totally forgotten. In 1963 Congress requested the president designate by proclamation Oct 9th as Lief Erikson Day and every president since has issued this proclamation.

Columbus Day - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Leif Erikson Day - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
World's Columbian Exposition - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Ragnar]

"Columbus is routinely vilified as a symbol of slavery and genocide, and the celebration of his arrival likened to a celebration of Hitler and the Holocaust."

Indeed. Do you know that by 1535, the original inhabitants of La Isla Española were virtually extinct, and were completely extinct a generation later. Not a quick as Hitlers "Final Solution" but certainly just as ruthless. They would often hunt down natives for sport.

Columbus, The Original American Hero

"It does mean that Columbus brought America to the attention of the civilized world"

No nothing could be further from the truth. Europe was the center of barbarism, warfare and general misery. It was an overcrowded, disease infested world whose raw materials had all been used up. It was the advances in warefare (amor, gun powder) that won the day. It was the need for raw material that drove the expantion. Not the noble deeds, thoughts or words of Aristotle, Galileo, Newton....ect.

We know very little about the state of the natives civilization because it was all destroyed. We'll never knows what was destroyed back then by the barbaric hoards and religious zealots.

"barbarism, warfare and general misery"

Boo-hoo

We know very little about the state of the native's civilization because they had so little of it. They had barbarism, warfare and misery long before Western Europe showed up.

Columbus Day the holiday (likely of the Italian American lobby, lol, look at multi-culti me) in the United States of America is about the opening of the New World to a new way to live in it for all mankind. It's a celebration of Western philosophy that followed quickly upon discovery. Discovery, the Age of Reason and the Age of Enlightenment all made the USA possible in their path.

People have celebrated Columbus's voyage since as early as the 16th century. It was unofficially celebrated in the mid 1800's but what really gave old Columbus a shot in the arm was the Columbian Exposition of 1893, also known as the Chicago World's Fair. The exposition had a number of art works featuring Columbus as well as much historical material, much of it was more drama than fact. The exposition was such a big deal that the post office issued the first set of commemoratives stamps and the mint issued a set of commemorative coins all which were insanely popular.

After the Expo, Columbus day celebrations became very popular not just in the US but much of Central America. It was not until 1930 that Calvin Coolege recognized Lief Erikson as the real discoverer of America, but it was too lake, Christopher Columbus was now too entrenched in American history and folklore and in 1938, Congress made Oct. 12th Christopher Columbus Day. But Lief was not totally forgotten. In 1963 Congress requested the president designate by proclamation Oct 9th as Lief Erikson Day and every president since has issued this proclamation.

Columbus Day - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Leif Erikson Day - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
World's Columbian Exposition - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I try not to use Wiki a lot but I ran into a lot of the same stuff this evening just having fun with google. My reference to the "Italian lobby" was jokey but was in reference to New Your city Italian Americans celebrating the "discovery" by Columbus in 1866. Colorado the first of many States in 1905 to celebrate the day and eventually FDR making it a Federal holiday every October 12th. (changed to 2nd Monday in Oct. by Congress in 1971)

I guess all that goes to say, that is yet another answer to the question.

Why Do We Celebrate Columbus Day?

However, since the OP delved right into the usual wacky waving inflatable arm-flailing tube-man of Chris Columbus bashing guilty Western Euro-evil doers meme I thought I'd post a different viewpoint. We need not spend every Columbus Day trashing Columbus and extolling the virtues of the primitive cultures he helped to brutalize. One can, and should teach history guilt trip free. I accept no unearned guilt.

"The New World" was exactly that for generations of Europeans from the voyage of Columbus, through the Age of Reason and Enlightenment that created the Founding Fathers of America. What was brought here and built here was, and remains to this day, far better than anything that existed on either side of the Atlantic before it. Happy Columbus Day!

 

[Ragnar]

Well well well...

Debunking Lies About Columbus: The Story Of Francisco de Bobadilla - Ricochet.com

Let me introduce you to Francisco de Bobadilla – liar and Columbus usurper. The criticism of Columbus today comes from de Bobadilla. Who was he? The man who wanted Columbus’ job as Governor of Hispaniola.

In 1500 the King and Queen sent him here to investigate claims that Columbus wasn’t being fair to the European settlers (which means Columbus was protecting the Indians). So de Bobedilla came here, and in just a few short days investigated (with no telephones or motorized vehicles to help him), then arrested Columbus and his brothers for Indian mistreatment and sent them back to Spain, sans a trial. Oh yeah, he appointed himself Governor. Coup de Coeur for power lead to Coup d’ etat, as usual.

The King and Queen called shenanigans and sent for be Bobadilla two years later, but he drowned on the trip home. Columbus was reinstated as Admiral. So what we know of Columbian malfeasance comes from a defrocked liar, de Bobadilla.

Nor was Columbus involved in the slave trade, as America haters like Howard Zinn and Noam Chomsky have asserted. One of his boats crashed in Haiti. He had no room for 39 men, so he started a colony there. Columbus came back a year later to find the Taino Indians killed all of them and left them where they fell. Columbus went to war with the Tainos and took 500 POWs, not slaves. They were released after the war. Big difference.

Also wrong is blaming Columbus for bringing genocidal microbes to kill the Indians. His detractors make fun of him for thinking he was in the East. So was his evil plan then to bring disease to wipe out the East?

Europeans didn’t know of germs until Italian physicist Girolamo Fracastoro proposed the theory 40 years after Columbus died. Also, had an Indian built a boat and traveled to Europe and back, he would have contaminated the Indians too. Trans-continental contamination was going to happen at some point, making the first carriers irrelevant.

And the hits just keep in coming.

 

[Avatar4321]

Probably because without him we wouldn't be where we are.