A couple of weeks ago the United States celebrated a holiday that as of late I don’t understand. On the second Monday of October, we observed Columbus Day. When I was young my teachers and adults around me somehow created the image of Columbus (depicted in some history books as a knight in shining armor) sailing into a peaceful bay and found the “new land.” Any educated history teacher in this age can dissuade that point as I will now do.

First, Columbus was a weaver. Not anything as spectacular as a knight in shining armor or an aristocrat, but a simple and poor wool weaver. Second, he decided to attempt to sail to America because he had a hunch he could quickly get rich and pay back some of his debts. Third, after he did (luckily) reach the “new land” he not only lied about seeing land first so he could collect some money, but he also enslaved the Indians. Now there is something that should be known about the Arawak tribal community that Christopher Columbus conquered: (A) They were peaceful. (B) They provided and gave items and goods to the Spanish. (C) They were totally docile and nonaggressive. Yet despite all these things, the Spanish conquered them, enslaved them, and wiped their culture off the face of the earth. Convinced yet that Columbus was a bad guy, not a good guy? Finally, one more fact: Columbus was arrested and fined later by the Spanish for cruel, barbaric and tyrannical governing after taking command of the recently conquered land. However, for fairness you may want to know Columbus’s motivation. Basically, Columbus had his back against the wall. He had no money and many debts. He promised the Spanish gold and riches, yet didn’t find any gold. Columbus would eventually get desperate to pay off his debts; and so resorted to enslaving the Arawaks.

It all boils down to another age- old question: do the ends justify the means? Does Columbus really need a holiday? Since, in fact, he didn’t originally find America, name it, or treat it fairly, why does he deserve a holiday? If we have to have a day celebrating the discovery of America, why don’t we have an Erikson Day after the first discoverer of this land or “Discovery Day” ? That would be more historically correct. Plus, doesn’t it idolize a villain like Columbus? To me , that doesn’t deserve a holiday.