Columbus Day 2016

Over five-hundred years ago, one man forever changed the patterns of human life. His exploratory voyages linked the continents of Europe, Africa, and the Americas in one common fate. At the same time, his actions were responsible for generations of hatred, death, and destruction that Europeans unleashed on indigenous American peoples. His journals indicate that he was possessed of unbounded arrogance, convinced of Native American inferiority.

His name was Christopher Columbus, and we will celebrate his holiday this Monday, October 10th.

Contradictions and controversy have surrounded Columbus’s name throughout modern history. Although we celebrate Columbus Day, demands for removing it have increased in the past fifty years. Both sides are asking a question that is fundamental to studying history: should we ignore a person’s accomplishments because of that person’s controversial character?

This question is most pressing because it concerns our children. Right now, millions of American children only know Columbus as a heroic figure. Is it okay for them to think like this? Conversely, do we have the right to display Columbus as an evil human being when arrogance and racism still affect our society? To the many teachers are committed to teaching the truth, I applaud you for your honesty. Many history textbooks, however, leave out the darker details about Columbus.

Let us examine the man’s character and actions from both sides. What would it mean if Columbus Day was not a federal holiday?

In the past, many of us have seen Columbus as a fellow American pioneer: bold, adventurous, resourceful, and a dream-chaser. We have depicted Columbus in a positive light because we can relate to him: we, as the American people, are constantly striving to emulate the pioneering spirit. Thus, we identify with Columbus’s crusade to the New World, a voyage in the name of God, gold, and glory. He was intent on spreading the Christian faith and achieving prosperity for himself and his country. In our current society, many of us do the same thing. Like Columbus, we are pioneers because we spread our beliefs and pursue prosperity.

On the other hand, Columbus must bear responsibility for the irreversible alterations he caused in the Native American way-of-life. For example, although he sailed in the name of God, his ideas about spreading Christianity were unquestionably twisted. We know from his journals that he was prepared to forcibly Christianize indigenous peoples. Native Americans already possessed a distinct culture and religion before Columbus arrived, but Columbus was blind to this reality. Like all Europeans of the age, he was predisposed to believe that all non-Christians were inferior human beings. This can never be justified. It was racism and poor judgement at its epitome.

Columbus’s voyages sparked a unique era in human history: the Columbian Exchange. It was a cross-cultural interaction between Europe, Africa, and the Americas that would shape the future of the world in positive and negative ways. For example, the Columbian Exchange facilitated a massive flow of crops. The potato, native to the Americas, changed lives in Europe. Tenant farmers that could not afford expensive foods looked to the potato as a source of healthy and cheap sustenance. Europeans continued to explore the Americas in pursuit of unexpected benefits like the potato. Many of us would have done the same.

Europeans were the only true winners in the Columbian Exchange, however. Native American populations were devastated by European disease and military technology. The Europeans’ pursuit of their self-interests effectively destroyed Native American lifestyles. European guns increased inter-tribal warfare. Smallpox and measles caused a higher death toll than the Black Death. Once Native Americans adults died from disease, food production on indigenous farms ceased. As a result, starvation among Native Americans was rampant.

Does this mean that Columbus Day should not be a federal holiday? It is hard to say. If we care about preserving the majority of our history books, then perhaps Columbus Day should be left as it is. But if we want to take another step in the direction of accepting all people, then we cannot be afraid of change.

Speaking personally, I implore people to think of this: on July 10th, 2015, the Confederate flag, an epitome of racism, was removed from the South Carolina state capitol. This was a step toward equality for a racial minority in the United State. Is it truly fair for us to state that “all men are created equal” and remove the Confederate flag but not Columbus Day?