Columbusing

10/8/2018

Daily Literary Quote
“Christopher Columbus, as everyone knows, is honored by posterity because he was the last to discover America.”
-James Joyce

Journal Prompt
Take a look at this article from The Oatmeal. What are some issues with the myth that Christopher Columbus "discovered" the Americas? Explain. Do you think Columbus should be honored with a holiday in the United States? Why or why not?

55 Comments

Kayla

10/8/2018 10:06:07 am

No I don’t think he should be because there were already people living in America. He just took all the credit and was the one recognized which is not cool. He took credit that was not deserved.

Sarah

10/8/2018 10:11:16 am

I agree that he took credit for something he didn't do. He also did everything out of greed and not the well-being of the population.

Robyn

10/8/2018 10:11:28 am

I agree, though I feel like it’s still a pretty common thing today.

Kayla

10/8/2018 10:13:19 am

It is and it’s kind of stupid. But that’s how the world turns.

Kelsey

10/8/2018 10:19:21 am

Totally bogus.

Brandon Westfall

1/28/2019 10:22:18 am

He was also very sadistic

Nick heble

10/8/2018 10:08:38 am

I don’t think it should be considered a holiday because nobody really celebrates it. And he was involved in a lot of bad things as well as some good but either way I think it’s a pointless holiday.

Nate

10/8/2018 10:15:22 am

Nice response

Konner

10/8/2018 10:16:44 am

Good response man

Brandon Westfall

1/28/2019 10:22:57 am

It’s a pretty useless holiday

Sarah

10/8/2018 10:09:05 am

There were already people living on the continent that had communities of some kind. I don't think he should be honored. He might have brought our ancestors here but he was greedy and he didn't actually discover the land, because there were others living here.

Kayla

10/8/2018 10:09:43 am

That is so true

Katelyn

10/8/2018 10:15:42 am

Simply put, it’s very obvious why it shouldn’t be a holiday, and there are the facts standing out.

Kiana Farnworth

10/8/2018 10:09:29 am

The main issue Is that there were already native people living in America so Columbus wasn’t the first to discover America. I don’t feel that Columbus Day should be celebrated because Columbus was an awful and greedy person with no thought for others.

Nutt

10/8/2018 10:09:54 am

Columbus didn’t discover America, he was just the first to leave a significant imprint from the old world. Columbus didn’t even want to discover new land, he was wanting to secure that bread by finding the source of gold the natives used. I say we continue celebrating Columbus Day as it is part of the history here in the U.S.

Robyn

10/8/2018 10:13:48 am

But why would we continue celebrating something that is from false origins and is pretty much pointless? Not celebrating a holiday doesn’t take the events out of the history books.

Alexis Anderson

10/8/2018 10:24:24 am

The Natives, in my opinion, left a greater imprint than Columbus.

Robyn

10/8/2018 10:10:00 am

I don’t think Columbus should be honored with a national holiday because

A) He didn’t really discover America
B) He was an awful human being who took the hospitality of the Native Americans and stabbed them in the back with it
C) since he didn’t actually discover America, he doesn’t have any thing to make stand out, or be particularly special

Kayla

10/8/2018 10:11:23 am

Exactly! But everyone was so struck that he “discovered” it they never questioned him

Cherish

10/8/2018 10:11:54 am

I agree. He didn’t discover the new land. I find it highly unfair that he mistreated the natives that had lived here for a long time.

Aimee

10/8/2018 10:12:50 am

I completely agree with you. His so called greatest achievement was finding America and he didn’t even really do that so why should we give him a holiday?

Brook

10/8/2018 10:13:04 am

True

Sarah

10/8/2018 10:13:11 am

I agree. We celebrate a man, who did awful things for selfish reasons, for something he didn't do.

Cherish

10/8/2018 10:10:10 am

Some issues are that there were already natives living in the Americas. On the other hand, Lief Ericson found the Americas 500 years prior to Columbus. Personally I do not think he should have the opportunity to be recognized because of the cruel acts he pursued to do.

Connor. Born

10/8/2018 10:10:20 am

Some things that are wrong with the myth are he landed in main land Americas and that he was the person who discovered the americas. No I don’t think he should because the whole reason we have a holiday because he was the first even though he wasn’t and he did some pretty terrible things to the natives.

Nutt

10/8/2018 10:12:57 am

He did do some terrible stuff.

Aimee

10/8/2018 10:10:20 am

Several other people discovered the Americas before Christopher Columbus made it there. I do not think Columbus should be honored with a holiday because he took credit for something he didn’t do. Yes he made it to the Americas but he was not the first or even the second. He was just the most loud mouthed about finding the Americas.

Kiana Farnworth

10/8/2018 10:12:36 am

I agree. He was only given credit because he boasted on himself loud enough that everyone knew of his journey.

Katelyn

10/8/2018 10:13:38 am

Very true, and I like how you described his upbringing for the credit.

Cherish

10/8/2018 10:13:53 am

It isn’t fair that he took all the credit for something he didn’t really do first.

Nate

10/8/2018 10:14:53 am

Agreed

Jennifer

10/8/2018 10:18:41 am

Nicely put my friend.

Nick

10/8/2018 10:21:55 am

Nice response.

Katelyn

10/8/2018 10:12:21 am

He shouldn’t be honored with a holiday. Not only for the obvious fact that he wasn’t the first to “discover” the U.S., but because of the way it was taken. By force, slavery, rape, and violation of human lives. The information realizes that there is an imbalance of power, mainly because it’s a benefit to privileged white males in America. It may have been considered normal long in history, but there is no reason for it to be honored in a time where it is mean to be shamed upon.

Kiana Farnworth

10/8/2018 10:14:37 am

I completely agree, by celebrating the holiday we are celebrating all of the things that our country frowns upon.

Kelsey

10/8/2018 10:16:58 am

I agree

Brook

10/8/2018 10:12:28 am

Some issues with the myth that he discovered the America’s is that the natives were already living there. It shouldn’t be a holiday because he didn’t even discover it first

Nate

10/8/2018 10:12:36 am

There were other people that discovered America before Columbus did but after 500 years who has enough time in their day to care if Columbus discovered America or not. If it effects your life that much then wow.

Aimee

10/8/2018 10:14:14 am

If we got school off for Columbus Day it would be fine but other than that I agree.

Jennifer

10/8/2018 10:18:12 am

I agree.

Nick

10/8/2018 10:18:33 am

Good response.

Brandon Westfall

10/8/2018 10:13:27 am

Colombus did not discover America. He merely stumbled upon it over 492 years after Leif Erikson. He massacred the natives and tortured them. He sold as sex slaves and hunted them for sport. He should not have a holiday.

Connor

10/8/2018 10:15:00 am

I agree he’s pretty terrible and doesn’t deserve a Holliday.

James

10/8/2018 10:14:06 am

He didn’t discover the America’s as Leif Ericsson had done the same 500 years before and there were already natives. I don’t think Columbus Day should be holiday because he didn’t really do anything new and did a lot of really bad things. And Columbus Day isn’t tradition, it is only a relatively recent thing.

Connor

10/8/2018 10:16:05 am

Fascinating

Konner

10/8/2018 10:15:36 am

There was already people living in America when he had discovered it. Think he should be honored because he found it for the people that he brought.

Will

10/8/2018 10:15:48 am

I don’t think he should be honored at all because people were already living there, and other people landed on the New World before he did, and that he enslaved the native americans

Kelsey

10/8/2018 10:16:11 am

Christopher Columbus didn’t discover the America’s because people already lived there. I don’t think he should be honored because he sounds like a horrible person.

Jennifer

10/8/2018 10:17:55 am

I don’t believe that we should have a holiday in honor of someone who isn’t much worth celebrating. He was a very cruel man who didn’t care for anyone other than himself. Also, he didn’t truly discover the America’s so there isn’t a reason to give him any credit.

Hailey Jo

10/8/2018 10:24:50 am

I agree, he was a very cruel man and should not be celebrated

Alexis Anderson

10/8/2018 10:26:15 am

He definitely did not care for anyone but himself.

Alexis Anderson

10/8/2018 10:18:49 am

Christopher Columbus did not discover America. My family has never celebrated the holiday because my family is Native Americans, he killed off whole tribes, sold their young girls into sex trade and enslaved anyone he wanted. We should not honor this man in our country which represents “freedom and equality”. Many indigenous people, particularly women, still get murdered and go missing everyday. Indigenous peoples are still suppressed because of this man, he does not deserve a place in our society.

Hailey Jo

10/8/2018 10:23:35 am

I agree, he should not be honored in the country that represents “freedom and equality” when he did terrible things to the natives

Saymen Clifton

10/8/2018 10:20:19 am

Well there are many stories that say there wor people here before Christopher Columbus. I think we should not honor him with Holiday because it’s not right what he did.

Hailey Jo

10/8/2018 10:21:25 am

It says America was already discovered before Columbus even set sail and that everyone knew the world wasn’t flat. The Amcient Greeks had previously discovered that the world wasn’t flat. No, I don’t think Columbus should be honored with a holiday in the U.S. because he was claimed as the father of slave trade,and also mass murder so I don’t believe we should honor that.

Columbusing

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