The holiday of Columbus Day has kindled an undeniable amount of controversy over the years. Whether or not it should be celebrated is debatable because while Columbus did open up the Americas to commerce with Eurasia, his travels also led to the decimation and abuse of the Native American population. The current Columbus Day is overly simplified. To extract the true meaning of Columbus Day, Columbus himself must be removed from the center of the holiday, and the holiday should recognize both the positive and negative results of October 12th, 1492. In light of the abuse, death, and cultural eradication that the Native Americans were forced to suffer through as a result of Columbus’s voyage, Columbus Day cannot be celebrated the way it is today.
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According to Michael S. Berliner, “it was Columbus’ discovery for Western Europe that led to the influx of ideas and people on which [the United States] was founded” (292). In other words, Berliner is stating that Columbus’s voyage allowed for the creation of the United States, and that without him, the US might not have been what it is today. Columbus changed the course of history through his travels. As well as making an imperishable mark on history, Columbus induced the Columbian Exchange, a process by which crops and livestock all travelled between the New and Old Worlds, increasing world population and diversifying diets (Crash Course). For instance, the American potato, became a staple in Europe, particularly Ireland, where it fed the masses as a staple part of their diet. Additionally, several other places in the world also experienced a decrease in famine due to the enrichment that American foods brought to their diets. Even more importantly, the world population doubled in just 200 years. Even the Americas benefited from this exchange, gaining access to beasts of burden that were stronger and larger than the native animals they employed to do labor. Specifically, Native Americans were able to prosper with the arrival of the horse, which revolutionized their lifestyle (Crash Course). The positive effects of Columbus’s trips to the Americas cannot simply be ignored, so the holiday cannot be done away with
According to Michael S. Berliner, “it was Columbus’ discovery for Western Europe that led to the influx of ideas and people on which [the United States] was founded” (292). In other words, Berliner is stating that Columbus’s voyage allowed for the creation of the United States, and that without him, the US might not have been what it is today. Columbus changed the course of history through his travels. As well as making an imperishable mark on history, Columbus induced the Columbian Exchange, a process by which crops and livestock all travelled between the New and Old Worlds, increasing world population and diversifying diets (Crash Course). For instance, the American potato, became a staple in Europe, particularly Ireland, where it fed the masses as a staple part of their diet. Additionally, several other places in the world also experienced a decrease in famine due to the enrichment that American foods brought to their diets. Even more importantly, the world population doubled in just 200 years. Even the Americas benefited from this exchange, gaining access to beasts of burden that were stronger and larger than the native animals they employed to do labor. Specifically, Native Americans were able to prosper with the arrival of the horse, which revolutionized their lifestyle (Crash Course). The positive effects of Columbus’s trips to the Americas cannot simply be ignored, so the holiday cannot be done away with