On Monday I
took the day off to spend some time with my wife. It was Christopher Columbus
Day and it prompted me to think… if anything is certain these days….the holiday
is sure to be either erased or re-named in the coming years. I’ve had to
re-consider my views on the topic of Columbus.
All over the
country Columbus statues have been removed or vandalized. History, which had
been kind to the Italian explorer, has turned its back on him. Let me make it
clear where I stand----I do not endorse the systematic destruction of Columbus
statues----I do understand the heartburn created by his legacy. I just have a
problem with the destruction of art.
First of
all, let me point out that Columbus did not discover America. He never set foot
in North America. He landed three times on various Caribbean islands. For many,
Columbus Day, which has been a federal holiday since 1934, has been a way of
celebrating Italian-American heritage.
Columbus’ discoveries
changed the world forever and the entire course of history. Yet, at the same
time, he should never be regarded as a hero. His treatment of humans was
undeniably atrocious and should not be ignored.
His courage
in endeavoring to find a new world is undeniable. But I suspect we will soon
lose Columbus Day as a federal holiday. Or it will become Indigenous People’s
Day or something of the like.
Up next, the
renaming of Columbus, Ohio….the District of Columbia…and maybe even little
Columbia, Illinois. I wouldn’t be surprised.
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