Columbus Day Should Not Be A Federal Holiday

Columbus is recognized as a man who changed the world, but how much is truly known about what he did? Christopher Columbus was an Italian sailor who sailed under the Spanish flag. While sailing west in hopes of finding a route to Asia, he found lands no one in Europe had known existed. A landing in 1492 led to a colonization flood in what he dubbed the “New World”. However, Columbus Day should not be a federal holiday because of his harsh treatment of the Natives and the future voyages that led to the death of many explorers and natives. Foremostly, Columbus Day should not be a federal holiday largely because of how he treated the Natives on the island he landed. His impression was that the Natives were caring and kind, for they had given him gifts upon his arrival. According to A People’s History of the United States, Las Casas, a priest who had traveled with Columbus, wrote in his journal that “endless testimonies...prove the mild and pacific temperament of the Natives…”[ 6 ]. Yet soon after Columbus arrived, Natives were treated in a way that showed that Columbus and his
Since Columbus confirmed there was new lands to be explored, many others followed him in his footsteps. One of them was Francisco Coronado, an explorer who “found death in the desert and from angry Native Americans,” [ Short Lessons in U.S History 9 ]. In addition, an explorer named Hernando de Soto found the Mississippi, but also “Native Americans, whom they mistreated, and a fever called “malaria”, which killed many of the Spaniards,” [ Short Lessons In U.S History 9]. Columbus’ explorations led to a new era of exploration, disease, and untimely demise. Whether by his own hand or inspired by it, many were negatively affected by his journey. Therefore, it makes little sense to devote a holiday to a man who did as much bad as he did