Several Thoughts on Controversial Case of Columbus Day Celebration

America has celebrated Christopher Columbus as a national holiday since 1892. However, I feel this holiday should not be a holiday due to the history of Christopher Columbus. I am not the only who feels this way as several people in my class argued with the same position as well. I believe Christopher Columbus should not be honored on the second Monday in October, in fact ever, because he was a slaveholder and forced many into slavery. Along with that he claimed land that was previously claimed and he forced the native people to follow his religion or they would die. Some of the thing he does reminds me too much of the now terrorist group called ISIS, but do we honor them? No, we do not. Let me go into more detail.

Christopher Columbus was a slave owner. Yes, this we know for a fact. When Christopher Columbus first came over in 1492, he began the first institutionalized slave “program” in America. He would find the indigenous (or native) people and would capture them and later he would send them to Spain to be sold off as slaves. This means that when we are celebrating the day for Christopher Columbus, we are honoring the fact that he was a slave holder. I do not agree with this because in our country (the USA), it is illegal to own, sell, or have a part in human trafficking. What should not surprise you is that this is not the only bad thing he did.

Christopher Columbus was a thief. This also is another true statement. Christopher Columbus was an excellent explorer and thief because when he found land he wanted, whether it had people on it or not, he would steal it! For example, while on the island of Hispaniola, Columbus claimed Hispaniola even though it was already claimed by those who were living on that island. What even worse is that it has been reported that Columbus claimed more land for Spain than he actually stepped foot on. That is similar to you claiming ownership of a computer that is still in its box at the store. You can’t just claim something if it was never yours in the first place, especially if you’ve never seen it before!

Now, I know you’re busy, being an editor and all, so let me summarize. I am grateful for the explorers who found Newfoundland which has since become the America’s. However, Christopher Columbus should not be thought of as a hero in our country because of several reasons, but more specifically since he was a thief and a slaveholder. The reason being is that thieving and human trafficking is illegal in our country and if we will not let a citizen of our country do it, why would we honor a past citizen of another country who did it? So, I ask for your help in publishing these fact in your paper to help protest the fact that Columbus should not be honored and his day of honor needs to be removed from law.