Horton 1

Miriam Horton

Prof. Reynolds

English Comp. 1201

March 21, 2021

Literature Review

On every second Monday of the month of October, schoolchildren and adults alike

celebrate Christopher Columbus, the man recognized for discovering America. Many statues

have popped up all around the country of the navigator, and there are even silly rhymes such as

“In 1942, Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue” to help solidify his remembrance. What

many fail to realize is that at the time, the land that he “discovered” already had people living in

it. He did not find America, he stole it. We should not be celebrating him, but the many people

that have been silenced for years under his shadow. Due to Columbus’ atrocities against the

indigenous people, the holiday named after him should be replaced with an Indigenous day to

honor all of the lives he stole or hurt.

Christopher Columbus was an Italian navigator born in 1451. While not much is known

about his early life, we do know that he moved to Spain in his 20s which was a crucial part in his

travels. Even though he was a seaman all of his life, Columbus didn’t embark on his first journey

until 1476, 25 years into his life. He sailed the Atlantic Ocean to which he would then be

attacked by the French and had to settle down in Portugal. He had gotten married and had two

sons, but his wife would soon die and he would find comfort in his voyages to the Canary

Islands. He frequently took expeditions to Africa, but wanted a bigger challenge, so he set back

off to Spain where he would ask for help on his infamous journey.
 Horton 2

Miriam Horton

Prof. Reynolds

English Comp. 1201

March 21, 2021

In August of 1492, Columbus and his crew in addition to his three boats, the Niña, the

Pinta, and the Santa Maria set off to find the Indies. On October 12th of that same year, they

would step foot onto an island in the present-day Bahamas. From there Columbus branched out

to Cuba and Hispaniola, claiming all of the land for Spain without the knowledge of the

inhabitants. While peaceful at first, the natives soon caught wind that the voyagers were meaning

to conquer their land. They attempted battle, and even though their people outnumbered the

Europeans, their weapon technology was too strong against the Indians. Disease that the travelers

brought wiped out most of the population, along with the famine that resulted from Columbus’

men eating all of the food grown in the land.

A common misconception around Columbus Day centers on the core values of the

holiday itself. U.S. citizens credit Columbus on the finding of America, and propose that

removing the holiday is erasing American culture. In reality, Columbus never stepped foot in any

of the 50 states. The voyage was meant to expand the Spaniard empire using whatever force was

necessary. The navigator of the entire trip didn’t even know where he was. He intended on

finding the Indies, hence the name “Indians” given to the indigenous people he took advantage

of. The Taino people inhabited the Caribbean Islands for centuries before Columbus was even

born. They had values based on unity and spirituality. They respected the land they lived on,

some even worshipping it. Taino itself means “good people.” (P., Media) America was never

opened to be discovered by Columbus.

 Horton 3

Miriam Horton

Prof. Reynolds

English Comp. 1201

March 21, 2021

On his second voyage in 1494, he captured over 500 members of the Taino tribe, taking

them back to Spain on crowded and dirty boats. Only 300 survived and the rest were tossed into

the ocean as they died. Once in Spain, they’d be auctioned off and sold into slavery. Some of

Columbus’ men stayed in Hispaniola, where they would continue to mistreat the indigenous

people. They raped their women and enslaved their men to mine gold. (Matthews, Dylan) If they

didn’t do what the leaders wanted they’d be dismembered as an example. Many leaders were

beheaded as they tried to reach a middle ground between the two people.

The earliest recorded celebration of Columbus Day in the US was by Italian Immigrants

in New York City during 1792. The sailor was celebrated with many parades, statues, and all

forms of art. Franklin D. Roosevelt didn’t actually make the holiday official until 1934. 33 years

later at the 1977 United Nations International Conference on Discrimination against Indigenous

Populations groups propped Indigenous Day to replace Columbus Day. By this time, the only

state to replace Columbus Day was Hawai’i. They created Discoverer’s Day to honor the initial

founders of the island. South Dakota was the first to embrace Indigenous day in 1990, adding it

to their calendars. As of now, 18 states have officially changed the name of the holiday.

Many argue that Christopher Columbus should be celebrated because of what he did for

Americans. Many claim that without him, the American Dream would not exist. Because

Columbus never actually discovered America, he had no part in making the American Dream.

That concept was based around creating a better life for immigrant families moving to America,
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Miriam Horton

Prof. Reynolds

English Comp. 1201

March 21, 2021

not wealth and power even if that’s how it’s previously been misconstrued. The American

Dream celebrates real Americans. Not someone who took the land with no regard for the people

who originally inhabited the land.

 Horton 5

Miriam Horton

Prof. Reynolds

English Comp. 1201

March 21, 2021

Works Cited

Allen, Jeanne. “Why I Proudly Celebrate Columbus Day.” Washington Examiner, Washington
Examiner, 8 Oct. 2017, www.washingtonexaminer.com/why-i-proudly-celebrate-
columbus-day.

“Columbus, Christopher.” Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, Jan. 2018, p.

1; EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=funk&AN=co182000&site=eds-live.

Deak, Gloria. “Everything You Need to Know about Columbus.” American Heritage, vol. 42,
no. 6, Oct. 1991, p. 40. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=a9h&AN=9109302665&site=ehost-live.

Doak, Robin S. Christopher Columbus. [Electronic Resource] : Explorer of the New World.
Compass Point Books, 2005. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=cat01128a&AN=scc.b1567625&site=eds-live.

Eason, Arianne E., et al. “Sanitizing History: National Identification, Negative Stereotypes, and
Support for Eliminating Columbus Day and Adopting Indigenous Peoples Day.” Cultural
Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology, vol. 27, no. 1, Jan. 2021, pp. 1–17. EBSCOhost,
doi:10.1037/cdp0000345.

Flint, Valerie I.J.. "Christopher Columbus". Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Feb. 2021,

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Christopher-Columbus. Accessed 17 March 2021.

Matthews, Dylan. “9 Reasons Christopher Columbus Was a Murderer, Tyrant, and Scoundrel.”
Vox, Vox, 13 Oct. 2014, www.vox.com/2014/10/13/6957875/christopher-columbus-
murderer-tyrant-scoundrel.

Media, P. (2018, August 04). Columbus in america (Full Documentary). Retrieved March 21,
2021, from https://youtu.be/JkFFy5yUdkE

Wilson, Samuel M. “Columbus, My Enemy.” Natural History, vol. 99, no. 12, Dec. 1990, p. 44.
EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=a9h&AN=9101140940&site=ehost-live.
 Horton 6

Miriam Horton

Prof. Reynolds

English Comp. 1201

March 21, 2021

Zotigh , Dennis W, and Renee Gokey. “Rethinking How We Celebrate American History-
Indigenous Peoples' Day.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 12 Oct. 2020, 12:00,
www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-american-
indian/2020/10/12/indigenous-peoples-day-updated2020/.