Good day, good people.
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, entrepreneur, self-promoter and genocider.
Colorado was the first state to designate Columbus Day in 1906 as an official state holiday. The federal government declared it in 1937. I wonder if Colorado and the U.S. would have done so if they had information other than the Christopher Columbus myth.
Christopher Columbus discovered the West Indies, but did not set foot on the mainland of North America. He arrived on the island of Hispaniola which was occupied by the friendly and peaceful Arawak-Taino Indians. He started by sending 500 slaves back to Spain. Unfortunately, almost all of them died during the trip. He continued to send large quantities of slaves back to Spain. But, the slave trade turned out not to be profitable because of the high-death rate during transportation. So, he turned his attention to collecting gold.
He assigned quotas of gold to be collected by all Indians fourteen years of age and older. If they did not deliver, Columbus the humanitarian would have their hands cut off, tortured, other atrocities and/or murdered. Depending upon which historian you read, Columbus was responsible for the deaths by disease, murder and/or genocide between 100,000 to 400,000 Indians.
Also, Columbus ordered forced Indian-slave labor on the islands, and it contributed to the genocide. He also forced Catholicism upon them.
William Bigelow in his article “Once Upon A Genocide” sets forth the atrocities Columbus committed among the Arawak-Taino Indians.
Bartholomew De Las Casas was born in 1484 and died 18 July 1566. He was a 16th Century historian, Dominican friar and transcribed Columbus’s journal. He also wrote History of the Indies. He writes about the mistreatment of the Indians by Columbus and the Spaniards. “. . .[Columbus] was so anxious to please the king that he committed irreparable crimes against the Indians.” Brackets are mine.
Jack McIver Weatherford is the former DeWitt Wallace Professor of anthropology at Macalester College in Minnesota. He said, “In October, we honor Christopher Columbus who opened the Atlantic slave trade and launched one of the greatest waves of genocide known in history.”
There is a considerable effort by historians and others to remove Columbus Day as a holiday and set forth the facts of his crimes against humanity.
So, why do we celebrate a national holiday for a genocider who did not discover North America?
What is your thought on perpetuating Columbus Day or eliminating it?
I hope this article will give you something to consider and discuss. To be successful you must understand other people’s opinions and care about them.
I care about your opinion. Contacting me with comments and constructive criticisms at Daniel McNeet with honesty and pleasantness their constant companions will always be welcomed.
Island Sunset
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