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?
76 Comments
Olivia
10/14/2019 01:16:43 pm
The myth is not correct. Christopher Columbus did not discover America, because there were indigenous people already there. I don’t think Columbus should have a holiday because of the way he exploited the Native Americans and lied to the queen. He made the Native Americans as slaves, and many died. For what? Columbus’ own selfish gain.
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Nathan
10/14/2019 01:20:21 pm
I agree he is a fake
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Kendra
10/14/2019 01:21:23 pm
I don’t like that he used them as slaves.
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Micah
10/14/2019 01:25:38 pm
The reasoning behind your answer is very opinionated. The question did not ask about what he did to native Americans. It simply asked if his voyage (not discovery) should be celebrated.
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Madeline
10/14/2019 01:32:50 pm
I agree
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Ady
10/14/2019 01:16:43 pm
He should definitely not be celebrated by America. He is a phony little fraud who killed a bunch of people destroyed some land and then left. He was also not even close to being the first one who discovered America.
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Olivia
10/14/2019 01:17:35 pm
I appreciate your words. “Phony little fraud” is correct.
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Dakota James
10/14/2019 01:19:28 pm
Funny but true😂
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Carson
10/14/2019 01:19:36 pm
Yea he wasn’t even the first one to discover it.
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Hailey
10/14/2019 01:20:55 pm
Haha good choice in words Adyson, I agree.
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Trishelle
10/14/2019 01:22:16 pm
I love that You’re so right
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Jaylee
10/14/2019 01:22:57 pm
You’re right he is a phony little fraud.
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Tyler
10/14/2019 01:24:31 pm
Wow that’s one way of putting it
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Ele
10/14/2019 01:25:58 pm
Yes lol
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Erik
10/14/2019 01:16:49 pm
I think that one of the issues is that coumbus didn’t discover the America’s because there where people there when he showed up. I think that he shouldn’t be honored for finding a random continent by accident. Besides he didn’t even do anything there all he did was give a bunch of Indians diseases.
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Olivia
10/14/2019 01:18:15 pm
I didn’t think about the spread of diseases, that’s a good point.
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Dakota James
10/14/2019 01:19:55 pm
Yeah he almost made things worse😂
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Carson
10/14/2019 01:20:07 pm
Yea we shouldn’t honor him.
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Tyler
10/14/2019 01:23:17 pm
Yah I thought that too
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Eliza
10/14/2019 01:17:11 pm
Columbus proved that the earth is round. I think that he should be honored with a holiday.
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Ady
10/14/2019 01:21:00 pm
True true
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Eliza
10/14/2019 01:22:21 pm
Your smart.
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Carson
10/14/2019 01:17:51 pm
I don’t think he should be honored with a holiday. He only came to America for personal reasons and wasn’t really trying to benefit any people. He also spread many diseases and killed a lot of people.
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Hailey
10/14/2019 01:21:28 pm
I agree. He did more bad than he did good.
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Ady
10/14/2019 01:23:21 pm
Definitely, I forgot about how he spread disease
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Sienna
10/14/2019 01:18:01 pm
I uderstand that Columbus’ so called “discovery” of the americas was cool n’ all but the way he treated the natives was awful and cruel. I am iffy on wether it should be discovered and it really depends on what country, culture, or idea you are involved in.
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Olivia
10/14/2019 01:18:55 pm
I agree.
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Sienna
10/14/2019 01:19:46 pm
Celebrated, not discovered* 2nd sentence
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Dakota James
10/14/2019 01:18:20 pm
Some issues about Columbus “discovering” America is that there were already people at this place when he came across it and claimed that he was the first to discover it which is not entirely true. He also wasn’t in India like he that he was at North America. I don’t think Columbus is worthy of his own national holiday because he didn’t really discover anything but he took credit for it.
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Kendra
10/14/2019 01:20:01 pm
I think that too.
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Trishelle
10/14/2019 01:23:04 pm
You right that is so true.
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Ele
10/14/2019 01:25:26 pm
Yes, I agree
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Keely
10/14/2019 01:30:37 pm
I agree 100%
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Kendra
10/14/2019 01:18:55 pm
The article says that Columbus accomplished nothing. He went to sail around the world but everyone already knew it was round. It also said that someone else discovered America way before he did. I am now doubting that he deserves a holiday because the article says he didn’t do anything.
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Eliza
10/14/2019 01:20:49 pm
I agree with most of you
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Micah
10/14/2019 01:29:00 pm
I like this answer.
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Nathan
10/14/2019 01:19:14 pm
Cristopher Columbus is a fake, he did not discover anything and ended up killing an entire population with small pocks. We should celebrate the discovery of the Americans but change the the name. We should not credit the holiday with his name.
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Jonah
10/14/2019 01:28:50 pm
You are right
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Micah
10/14/2019 01:29:33 pm
*pox
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Janessa
10/14/2019 01:30:12 pm
He didn’t just kill them with disease.
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Hailey
10/14/2019 01:20:13 pm
Christopher Columbus, although his voyages were the beginning of new eras, did not “discover” the Americas. The Natives that were already on that “new” land had been there decades and centuries before Columbus ever set sail. I don’t think that Columbus Day should be a national holiday, because it’s all based upon false pretenses.
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Micah
10/14/2019 01:30:24 pm
I like the word pretense. Very fitting use
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Megan
10/14/2019 01:20:20 pm
The myth is not true. He should not be honored for finding a random place that wasn’t America.
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Lizzie
10/14/2019 01:22:48 pm
Wow that’s a very interesting idea.
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Jaylee
10/14/2019 01:24:02 pm
You’re right Megan
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Beth
10/14/2019 01:21:11 pm
I do not think that Columbus Day should be celebrated because he discovered America. He actually bought disease to the Americas and killed many natives. He also didn’t discover that the earth is flat because that was discovered 2000 years earlier.
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Lizzie
10/14/2019 01:23:44 pm
These are really good points.
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Jonah
10/14/2019 01:24:37 pm
Exactly
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Cade
10/14/2019 01:27:51 pm
I agree that he mostly just killed the natives.
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Tyler Hilton
10/14/2019 01:21:17 pm
A lot of people thought that he was the first person to reach America but he was not even close to discovering America there were people that had sailed there hundreds of years before. I don’t think that he should have a holiday because all he did was bring a bunch of diseases to America and killed a bunch of what he thought to be Indians.
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Myah
10/14/2019 01:33:28 pm
He killed a whole bunch of people with diseases.
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Boaz
10/14/2019 01:34:21 pm
He did not purposely kill them with the diseases however. Any European could be credited with that terrible thing
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Madeline
10/14/2019 01:34:37 pm
I agree he doesn’t deserve a holiday.
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Jonah
10/14/2019 01:21:34 pm
Columbus Day should not be celebrated in America. Upon finding the natives, they had nothing but kindness for him. What did he return the favor with? Disease, death. He was looking out for others’ best interests to find better routes. He just wanted gold. Did he find America and survive to tell the tale? Sure. But that’s nothing to celebrate when it was done before.
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Jonah
10/14/2019 01:25:15 pm
Wasn’t* looking
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Erik
10/14/2019 01:27:32 pm
He also enslaved a lot of Indians
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Keely
10/14/2019 01:31:51 pm
I like that you pointed out the natives point of view and how they were only trying to show kindness.
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Janessa
10/14/2019 01:32:11 pm
I really liked the way you worded this. He accepted their kindness, then came back tortured them.
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Micah
10/14/2019 01:32:23 pm
Good explanation and very well defended.
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Trishelle
10/14/2019 01:21:40 pm
He shouldn’t be celebrated because he lied about discovering America. The world is a sphere, it’s not flat. He should of known that.
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Micah
10/14/2019 01:34:46 pm
Back then they didn’t have the technology they needed to come to a conclusion about the shape of the earth.
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Lizzie
10/14/2019 01:21:54 pm
An issue with the myth that Columbus found America is that Leif Ericson found the New World 500 years before. I think that if Columbus actually found America than he should have a holiday celebrated but if he didn’t than he doesn’t deserve a holiday. However he can be recognized for sort of helping or rediscovering America.
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Micah Tolman
10/14/2019 01:22:01 pm
Christopher Columbus was not the first person to discover America. He was simply the first person to share this idea with the world. I don’t think this idea should be celebrated as a holiday in the United States because there is no factual evidence that he discovered America, therefore the entire idea of celebrating this holiday is nothing but desire.
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Cade
10/14/2019 01:26:23 pm
I agree that there is no evidence that prove he actually discovered America, many people just think he did because they don’t know the real story.
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Cade
10/14/2019 01:23:26 pm
One issue is that everyone thinks Colombus discovered America when people were there many years before. He also only sailed the world to make himself look good. I don’t think he should have a holiday when he didn’t really discover anything new.
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Myah
10/14/2019 01:25:06 pm
I agree it’s what you said about making himself look good.
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Ele
10/14/2019 01:24:55 pm
The thing is that Columbus did not really do these things, hensaw them but did not discover them. He voyaged around and killed many people. Many people already knew earth was round but he solved it to himself that the earth was round instead of flat. He did not really accomplish anything.
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Janessa
10/14/2019 01:26:13 pm
Columbus did some messed up stuff. He was just a greedy, power-hungry man who wanted credit and fame and didn’t care what he did to get it. That article really disgusted me. He was diseased, and not just physically.
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Keely
10/14/2019 01:28:00 pm
The issues with this myth is the fact that it’s WRONG! Columbus should not be honored with a holiday. Yes he “discovered” something new, so he saw necessary to reward himself with the “cheddar” he desired. And he got it, but while getting it he became a slave driver, sex slaver, mass murderer and spreads diseases wherever he goes with his men. People who get holidays in their name are actually honored for things we can prove and rejoice about. We don’t remember people who abused rights and corrupted cultures. My opinion, he doesn’t deserve a holiday.
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Janessa
10/14/2019 01:33:42 pm
I guess you can say he wasn’t that “grate”.
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Boaz
10/14/2019 01:38:29 pm
I agree that the person should absolutely not be celebrated but the act could be considered in a weird way
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Micah
10/14/2019 01:39:09 pm
Columbus did not discover America. Leif Erickson did. Columbus just got the fame for it. Very descriptive answer though.
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Boaz
10/14/2019 01:31:26 pm
To say whether or not we should celebrate Columbus Day we must first determine why we celebrate things in the first place. This question has multiple answers; for example we celebrate Presidents’ Day in regard for their contribution to the state of our country but we also celebrate Memorial Day in remembrance of the terrible wars that took the life of many great and brave people. In regards to this situation it could be seen as a day of remembrance of the awful things that happened in the colonization of the New World. The way we celebrate the day right now is not right but it could be used for a better purpose
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Micah
10/14/2019 01:36:47 pm
Memorial Day is about honoring the veterans sacrifices, it’s not just about mourning for the loss of them.
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Madeline
10/14/2019 01:31:31 pm
Some problems with the myth of Christopher Columbus is that he didn’t come in to this part of the world and he wasn’t the person who originally discovered the America’s. I don’t think he should be honored with a holiday for himself. He shouldn’t be honored because he was a murderer and slave trader amongst other things and I don’t think he should be rewarded for what he did.
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Myah
10/14/2019 01:32:34 pm
I do not think the myths are correct. Christopher Columbus was a corrupt old man who had no respect for human rights. Nothing he did was okay but made everyone believe he was a good guy. I don’t think he deserves an American holiday.
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