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Indigenous People's D
Indigenous People's Day!
I live in Vermont and here in Vermont, there's a law that instead of Columbus Day, we celebrate Indigenous People's Day. I know that's there's several other states and places that have Indigenous People's Day. Cause Columbus didn't even discover America, he was just island hopping in the Caribberean and was a totally evil dude to all the native people who were there. So yeah, I think it's great that we have Indigenous People's Day because Columbus does not deserve to be celebrated. There are a lot of people in history who don't deserve to be celebrated, because they're racist or sexist, usually they're white men. But anyway, do you live in a state that celebrates Indigenous People's Day? Do you want to?
submitted by Leo
(October 13, 2019 - 9:46 am)
(October 13, 2019 - 9:46 am)
That's so cool! I was unaware that that's a thing, but I think it would be much better to celebrate. My state celebrates Columbus Day, but I agree that he's not someone to be celebrated. A lot of the people we celebrate are only worth celebrating if you look at one side of the story. Columbus didn't even discover America- aside from the fact that there were already people living there, Columbus died thinking that he had reached Asia, not a new continent. So yeah, that's really cool that you celebrate Indigenous People's Day!
(October 13, 2019 - 1:57 pm)
(October 13, 2019 - 2:57 pm)
Oh wow, I had no idea this existed! It sounds like a great idea, though--- Columbus is definitely glorified. Happy early Indigneous People's Day, everyone!
(October 13, 2019 - 4:13 pm)
Ooh, I love this debate!
In Maryland, we still celebrate it as Columbus Day (although we don't have the day off from school), but my family sometimes calls it Indigenous People's Day. Although last year in history class we had a lesson on whether or not Columbus should be celebrated. I love that you can always dig a little deeper.
Like, people say that he didn't actually discover America, and that he died thinking that it was India. But at the same time we can also take into account that he was a businessman as well as an explorer. It was in his best interest to say that he had found India. He was being paid to find India, not the New World. So maybe we can't say what he actually thought, only that he died saying he found India. After all, it was becoming more and more clear that he hadn't found India, but someplace entirely different.
And on the other hand, people say that we shouldn't judge him by today's standards, that everyone back then was racist and cruel, that he didn't know any better. Well, first of all, people did know better. But second of all, he was actually really terrible by the standards of then, as well. Columbus was actually jailed for his abuse of the Native peoples on Hispaniola. I don't want to get into the details, but even people back then thought he was horrible.
Does anyone else have any good/interesting arguments?
(October 14, 2019 - 6:27 pm)
Oh cool! Yeah, oregon still celebrstes Columbus day, but there's a good number of people who do Indiginous Peoples Day instead, because Columbus was a *censored* jerk. Besides, he wasn't even the first european to discover the Americas! The vikings took that "honor"!
(October 17, 2019 - 9:14 pm)
Wait, Catsclaw, you're from Oregon?! *swoons* Yay!
I always get so freaked out when I find out another cber is from Oregon . . . .
(October 19, 2019 - 3:05 pm)
Be careful to review everything you hear about Columbus, even what you learn in your schools. I implore you to research the topic of Christopher Columbus & Columbus Day rather than take what you have heard for face value. Do not allow something as important as your country's history to be accepted so lightly. In this day in age, it is unwise to accept anything you hear, read, or see without further research. Matters as fundamental as this one should be carefully reviewed before conclusions are made.
Rather than read articles by secondhand sources, the best way to learn the truth about Columbus is to read his travel log. Your time researching will not be wasted, as you will be richer in knowledge and will have a sturdier understanding of our country's history.
My reason for saying this is due (in part) to a narrative called "The Real Christopher Columbus" by Howard Zinn, which is now a widely used resource in schools and articles. The quotes Zinn uses, which are from Columbus's travel journel, have been spliced and leave key elements of Columbus's account out. Sometimes an ellipses in one of Zinn's chosen quotes skips into an entirely new section of Columbus's journal. This is called quote mining and it distorts or eliminates the truth by taking quotes out of context. Beware of this in your research.
But don't just take my word for it. Get out there and study!
(October 19, 2019 - 1:32 pm)
Agreed. We have to remember that, while Columbus and his men killed many Indian people (which is a tragedy), the American Indian people defended themselves just as vehemently. Some even sided with Columbus to gain power over other tribes that had oppressed them for generations. And Columbus's actions are not because he was white, but because he was power-hungry, as is the natural, fallen state of man.
Sad, but true facts on both sides. :|
(October 19, 2019 - 7:43 pm)
That's an interesting take, but I don't think that Christopher Columbus ever set foot in North America, so he would never have come into contact with Native Americans. Regardless, I don't think we can condemn the Native Americans for defending themselves against colonizers, because I think that their actions were reactionary and justified. Certainly, Columbus's actions may not have been because he was white, but he only continued to reinforce the status quo and perpetuate European hegemony in the New World.
(October 20, 2019 - 4:46 pm)
I agree with what you say about drawing your own conclusions and not blindly trusting what another person says, but it's also true that an explorer's travel log will most likely be biased in favor of the explorer, trying to make his actions sound justifiable and good and powerful, and therefore not that reliable. I would recommend reading primary sources from all sides, including Columbus's travel log, for a more accurate account. (I have to admit that I haven't done this, but in school we do read a variety of sources' takes on colonization.)
(October 20, 2019 - 6:58 pm)
(October 25, 2019 - 2:22 pm)