Columbusing

10/13/2025

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

Journal Prompt
In chapter 3 of The Bean Trees, Barbara Kingsolver states, “It was Columbus Day, the day we celebrate the guy who discovered America. I was thinking how the Native Americans must feel about that.” 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?

13 Comments

Killian Smith

10/13/2025 09:14:49 am

Christopher Columbus was not the first person on the “new continent”, he did not discover it, he enslaved it. The fact that the natives he found were only viewed as slaves of currency when it came to the young girls is something that in being celebrated exposes the great flaws in history. History is written by the winners. If the natives had written a book about the experience the story of Columbus would be very different and I would imagine most likely not a holiday. Moving to the group that pushed for Columbus Day, a group of white men, the only people safe from the punishment of Columbus. Women, children, and anyone not the correct color died or was enslaved. This is not a person to be celebrated but a day each year to be used as a reminder of past atrocities.

Cody Cox

10/13/2025 09:34:49 am

This is a great proving point. This is because he didn't even do the things that people think he did. He did quite the opposite. And I do agree that if people actually saw what he did then this holiday would definitely not stand. And as good as it would be if it wasn't a holiday, it is good to remind us how wrong he handled things.

Lucile Turner

10/13/2025 09:35:08 am

One of the reasons why our society depicted Columbus as a hero may have been because his "greatness" promoted slavery, something that many people wanted to justify and have for themselves. A man of greed impowered other men of greed, continuing the cycle. When a country prioritizes the opinions of only one demographic (white males), only their perspectives and wants gets met, even when is damages another demographic.

Cody Cox

10/13/2025 09:16:25 am

There are a numerous amount of flaws and issues with this myth. Most of them are how we think that Colombus actually found the new world, even though, it was discovered way before him. Another myth is how people think he proved the earth was round even though everyone in that time period never thought it wasn't. I do not think that Columbus should be honored with a holiday because he didn't really prove or do anything except bring some gold back. And whilst doing this he killed and did horrible things to the Native Americans that lived in the new world. So no, we should not celebrate someone like that.

Lucile Turner

10/13/2025 09:26:38 am

I think one of the reasons why these myths and misconceptions came to be is because history is usually told by the winner. By force and brutality, Columbus was able to portray himself to be a sort of hero. If the natives were able to win, the narrative would be all about how the oppressed bravely fought against unfair forces. Then, Columbus would have never have even be thought of as a hero.

Killian Smith

10/13/2025 09:29:30 am

I agree he should not be honored but the holiday of Columbus Day could have a change in connotation. Instead of treating it as a celebration think of it more like a reminder of how people have treated each-other in the past. Who knows maybe that reminder will prevent future repetition.

Lucile Turner

10/13/2025 09:22:44 am

Columbus is another example of a worldly man being consumed by wealth, power, and sexual greed. However, these aspects are of course often disregarded in order to comply to a narrative, ignoring all of his many faults. I don't believe that Columbus should be a man to admire, and defiantly isn't a man that deserves his own holiday. However, I don't think his story should be ignored. In a large scale, he did contribute greatly to the colonization to the western hemisphere. Without him, many people wouldn't be here today. His story should be shared, but not sugar-coated or out of admiration. His actions should be served as a warning and shamed, but the impact he created should also be remembered. It's a common phrase that those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. I absolutely believe in this which is the reason why I think his colonization should be taught, but not praised.

Cody Cox

10/13/2025 09:29:17 am

I do agree with this. I like this because he didn't discover anything, all he did was take from innocent people just so he could be pleased. So he should definitely not be a man to look up too. But he did lead to the development of the country so we can look at him as a figure in that way. But not how he worked and how he got things done.

Alyssa Tracy

10/18/2025 01:30:53 pm

I think in a way of sharing the true story of Columbus would be okay, but it kind of makes sense to why they may teach it like that. Learning te truth about him at an early age may not be what some parents want just due to the violent nature of it, not on all do I suggest getting rid of it though. But I agree with what you say, including not "praising" but teaching.

Nathaniel Schwartz

10/13/2025 09:30:33 am

The biggest issues with the myth of Christopher Columbus "discovering" the New World are the fact people had lived there for thousands of years, a Norsemen by the name of Leif Erikson made contact with these natives and this new world hundreds of years before Columbus was even born, and when Columbus did finally make it, he enslaved, raped, and destroyed this new world all thanks to his greed. While Columbus day is something that is ingrained in the minds of Americans from a very young age, I don't think he deserved a holiday to begin with. Granted, "rediscovering" the Americas is a huge deal for history and how the world is today, that isn't enough to excuse Columbus of the atrocities he committed. Maybe people could argue he was simply a product of his time so we can't judge him as harshly as we would if he was born in today's age, but it just doesn't seem fair to these native people to keep around such a large reminder of a terrible time in their history.

Killian Smith

10/13/2025 09:35:21 am

His actions after “discovering” the continent showed less care for discovery and much more for the way he could use the resources in this new place. Through this he is no true explorer, only another person grabbing for money.

Alyssa Tracy

10/18/2025 01:35:30 pm

I don't think in any time should his actions be acceptable, and kids should be taught the actual story. Introducing something as violent like in early in kids can show them great behaviors and ideals (the kind of thinking what Columbus did was wrong). If we keep spreading the myth version around, it could seem that we forget that part, and those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.

Alyssa Tracy

10/18/2025 01:27:08 pm

Columbus Day is an entire flaw and trick as it is. With only so few people actually knowing the truth behind his mask, makes it difficult to actually want to get rid of the holiday. Starting off by the huge myth of him not actually discovering the new land, enslaved all kinds of people just for him to be wealthy. Not to mention that people wanted Columbus to be a "role model" for the young children in churches. Columbus should not have his own holiday due to all the horrid things he had done. Having a holiday is kind of like saying people support what he did, whether they knew the truth or not.

Columbusing

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