Should We Celebrate Columbus Day

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In honor of defeating the British and gaining our freedom from British rule, Americans have Independence Day. In honor of the soldiers who have sacrificed their lives and continue to risk them in many of America's wars, we have Veterans Day. In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s great contributions to the civil rights movement, we have Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Columbus Day, however, is a peculiar holiday. What positive contribution has Columbus made for our beloved country? What did he do that no one else has done? His "discovery” led to the mass genocide of an indigenous people. What is the purpose of honoring a mass murderer? Why do Americans continue to acknowledge each second Monday in October when we really should be thinking about the indigenous people who were wrongfully …show more content…
When he landed in the Caribbean Islands, he had left Spain in search of Asia and India in hopes of bringing back gold, .
Explorers seek, search for, and quest after items. In contrast, Columbus hunted down, sought after, and drove out. Honoring those who have accomplishments worthy of honor is noble, but praising those who have manipulated and destroyed is not only foolish, but also detrimental to the fabric of our country’s history. Columbus Day was and is a harmful holiday that disgraces the memory of people who lived in the New World before the arrival of Columbus and gives praise to a man who did nothing short of the extermination of a native people from their land. To iterate, celebrating Columbus Day is contrary to the principles of what it means to be an American. An American believes in The Bill of Rights, honor, and promoting positive changes. So, for us to commemorate someone whose actions are in direct contrast to our beliefs, we would not be true to ourselves. Therefore Americans should not celebrate a terrorist on any day, including the second Monday of