Christopher Columbus is credited with the discovering and integration of the once isolated Americas into the global world. For this, Columbus was given a holiday on which he is celebrated annually. Many people today believe that Columbus does not deserve a holiday and should not be celebrated due to the many atrocities he committed, such as killing and enslaving an entire population, in order to achieve what he did. Although Christopher Columbus is responsible for the decimation of millions of Native Americans, he should not be judged for his actions according to today 's standards and thus should continue to be celebrated because he is also responsible for the contact of the Americas with the rest of the world and the impact of his voyages
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The negative aspects provide many reasons for why Christopher Columbus shouldn 't continue to be celebrated today. One reason is that he didn 't actually discover the Americas. There was a population of about 145 million people inhabiting the lands of the Americas when Christopher Columbus "discovered" them. (Document B). Only after the Native Americans came in contact with Christopher Columbus did they experience a steep decline in their population. One major cause of the population depletion was that the Native Americans were not immune to the diseases that were brought over with the Spaniards. Christopher Columbus also shouldn 't be celebrated because “the celebration of Columbus sends a message of hostility to the very peoples who have paid most dearly.” (Doc B) Honoring Columbus for his actions sends out the message that destroying an entire population is condoned, tolerated, and even commemorative. Although Columbus ' voyages had varying negative outcomes, essentially his voyages had numerous positive outcomes as well. The affects of Christopher Columbus ' voyages were still felt hundreds of years after his explorations. In a statement given to the public about Columbus Day, Franklin D. Roosevelt uses the actions of Christopher Columbus to inspire the American people. He tells them that when they, himself included, contemplate the destructive forces that the world has been brought down by "we can revitalize our faith and renew our courage by a recollection of the triumph of Columbus." (Document C) Columbus ' struggles are used as a parallel to the difficulties and setbacks of the American people as a way to inspire them. Roosevelt wants the people to know that although Christopher Columbus had difficulty getting people to support and fund his voyage, eventually he was able to and consequently he was able to accomplish all that did, thus despite setbacks, the American people will rise
The negative aspects provide many reasons for why Christopher Columbus shouldn 't continue to be celebrated today. One reason is that he didn 't actually discover the Americas. There was a population of about 145 million people inhabiting the lands of the Americas when Christopher Columbus "discovered" them. (Document B). Only after the Native Americans came in contact with Christopher Columbus did they experience a steep decline in their population. One major cause of the population depletion was that the Native Americans were not immune to the diseases that were brought over with the Spaniards. Christopher Columbus also shouldn 't be celebrated because “the celebration of Columbus sends a message of hostility to the very peoples who have paid most dearly.” (Doc B) Honoring Columbus for his actions sends out the message that destroying an entire population is condoned, tolerated, and even commemorative. Although Columbus ' voyages had varying negative outcomes, essentially his voyages had numerous positive outcomes as well. The affects of Christopher Columbus ' voyages were still felt hundreds of years after his explorations. In a statement given to the public about Columbus Day, Franklin D. Roosevelt uses the actions of Christopher Columbus to inspire the American people. He tells them that when they, himself included, contemplate the destructive forces that the world has been brought down by "we can revitalize our faith and renew our courage by a recollection of the triumph of Columbus." (Document C) Columbus ' struggles are used as a parallel to the difficulties and setbacks of the American people as a way to inspire them. Roosevelt wants the people to know that although Christopher Columbus had difficulty getting people to support and fund his voyage, eventually he was able to and consequently he was able to accomplish all that did, thus despite setbacks, the American people will rise