Intro:

In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. He had three ships and left from Spain, he
sailed through sunshine, wind, and rain. You all probably learned something like this in
elementary school. My elementary school taught me that Columbus was a visionary who
exuded bravery and independence. Every October, the United States celebrates the
accomplishments and prestige of Christopher Columbus with parades, (often) a day off
from school or work, and the like.
Thesis: The United States should split Columbus Day into two separate holidays
Indigenous Peoples Day and Italian Heritage Day due to Christopher Columbus
reprehensible history and also out of respect for Native American populations.
Preview: Christopher Columbus personal achievements have been greatly inflated by
euro-centrist historians and artists as Columbus was a subpar navigator who acted out of
personal interest, had a remarkably violent track record, and has a horrible connotation
among Native Americans.
Transition: At this point, you may be wondering how exactly all of this information is
anything but common knowledge, and Ill explain exactly that.

Need:
The myth of Columbus historical contributions has grown because his stature as an
excellent navigator has been greatly inflated, as evidenced by Matthew Restalls book 7
Myths of the Spanish Conquest.
o This image, painted by Jos Mara Obregn in 1859, shows Columbus looking out
across the Atlantic.
o Restall states that in this work of art, Columbus gazes at the Atlantic horizon,
seeing it not as a linear boundary but as a curved gateway to a new world.
o In reality, Columbus had no intention of finding a new world at all he had his
sights set on Asia.
In Latin American in Colonial Times, Matthew Restall and Kris Lane argue that
Columbus was determined to use any and all evidence to substantiate his beliefs, no
matter how unlikely they might be.
o During his fourth voyage, Columbus was left shipwrecked on an island in the
Caribbean.
o The following quote is from Daniel Boorstins book, The Discoverers.
o But as I have already described, I have now seen so much irregularity that I have
come to another conclusion respecting the Earth, namely, that it is not round, as
they describe, but of the form of a pear, which is very round except where the
stalk grows, at which part it is most prominent Columbus
o Restall points out that Columbus contract with the Spanish monarchs depended
on him finding Asia.
The pear belief explained how he got to Asia in such little time.
As Eric Kasum makes abundantly clear in his article on Christopher Columbus, the
Genoese navigator also forcibly subjugated and abused native populations in the
Americas.
o It is well known that Columbus forced Native Americans to work in gold mines
and would cut off their hands if they failed to deliver enough gold.
o Columbus also sold young girls to be sex slaves.
 These are just two of many examples of his violent past.
Eric Weiner, author of Who Was First?, brings up the point that the very idea of
discovery by Columbus perpetuates an ethno-centric view of the world.
o There were millions of people living in the Americas before any Europeans
showed up.
To many in the Native American community, Columbus is synonymous with death,
violence, and the ultimate displacement of entire populations.
o In a YouTube video called One Word Columbus, Native Americans are asked to
say the first word that comes to mind when they hear Christopher Columbus.
o Evil, pain, and invader are some of the words that are used.
o Given Columbus dark history, these responses are really not too surprising.
So Columbus was not the navigator he was made out to be, he was self-interested,
violent, and synonymous with death for many.

Plan:
Columbus Day needs to be split into two separate holidays.
o One holiday will celebrate indigenous populations.
Like many other holidays, Indigenous Peoples Day would look to spread
awareness about and celebrate Native American culture.
o One holiday will celebrate Italian-Americans in order keep a holiday that honors
Italian heritage.
Splitting Columbus Day into two separate holidays, Indigenous Peoples Day and Italian
Heritage Day, would truly be quite a painless transition.

Justification:
Having two separate holidays would make both groups satisfy the desires of both parties
in this struggle.
o In an article from The Spokesman-Review, Kip Hill notes that John Caputo at
Gonzaga University believes that renaming the holiday would take away a
holiday that celebrates Italian Americans, a group that has been persecuted in this
countrys past.
o Caputo makes an important argument that should in no way be ignored.
o If it is important to keep a holiday that honors a group of Americans, however,
then it should be equally important to get rid of a holiday that is named after a
man who is seen as a violent and wicked murderer by another group of people.
Renaming Columbus Day would even set a precedent for the way that future generations
of Americans view and learn about the Genoese navigator.
o It is immensely important that the true historical background of Columbus is not
ignored, because just look at the emotional harm it has done to the American
Indian populations in the United States.
On August 29, 2016, for example, the Spokane City Council approved the renaming of
Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day (Hill).
o The adoption of the new name for Columbus Day shows the growing sentiment
for a holiday name that celebrates native populations, rather than (unintentionally)
offending them.
 Anthony Hahn of the Daily Camera reported that the renaming of Columbus Day is in the
works in Lafayette, Colorado.
o This example serves as more proof that there is support for Indigenous Peoples
Day.
To be most influential, however, the holiday should be renamed and split as a formal act
of the United States government.
o Congress passes federal holidays just as it would pass any other law.
Columbus Day was actually signed into law in 1934 after heavy lobbying
from a Catholic fraternal service group called the Knights of Columbus.
o The importance of having the federal government change the name of the holiday
is that it would send a message to Native American populations, on behalf of the
government, that they actually care.
The US government has certainly not always cared, and, in fact, is perhaps
the single-most culpable party in terms of crimes against Native
Americans.
The government has an opportunity to take a small step toward righting
the many wrongs that they have committed.
Luckily, this can be done with relative ease.
I would propose having Indigenous Peoples Day and Italian Heritage Day take place on
consecutive days.
o However, giving government employees two straight days off is very unlikely.
o Therefore, any two days will do.
The tide is already moving towards Indigenous Peoples Day, and making it a national
reality would be a simple (and worthy) task.

Outro:
Christopher Columbus violent and cruel behavior towards indigenous populations,
coupled with his complete disregard for fact, makes him an unworthy candidate for hero
status in the United States. The popular narrative that Columbus was an individualistic
and intelligent man fits perfectly into many deeply-rooted American ideals, but this
narrative contradicts the truth. Contrary to popular teachings, Columbus was wrong about
the size of the Atlantic, while those he argued against were right. In order to fit his
discoveries into his already existing idea of the size of the Earth, Columbus even
proposed that it was pear-shaped. Today, because of popular rewritten versions of
Columbus successes, Americans celebrate a man who was more often than not wrong,
he was in many ways self-interested, and certainly was morally reprehensible. Americans
do not celebrate those qualities.

Works Cited
Boorstin, Daniel J., and Clare Luce Boothe. The Discoverers. New York: Random House, 1983.
Print.
Hahn, Anthony. "Lafayette Eyes Indigenous Peoples' Day." Daily Camera. Digital First Media,
18 Sept. 2016. Web. 18 Sept. 2016.
Hill, Kip. "City Council Changes Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples' Day." The Spokesman-
Review [Spokane] 29 Aug. 2016. Print.
Kasum, Eric. "Columbus Day? True Legacy: Cruelty and Slavery." Huffington Post.
TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc., 11 Oct. 2010. Web. 18 Sept. 2016.
Obregn, Jos Mara. Inspiracion De Cristobal Colon. 1859. Museo Nacional De Arte, Mexico
City.
Restall, Matthew, and Kris Lane. Latin America in Colonial Times. New York: Cambridge UP,
2011. Print.
Restall, Matthew. Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest. New York: Oxford UP, 2003. Print.
Weiner, Eric. "Coming to America: Who Was First?" NPR. NPR, 8 Oct. 2007. Web. 18 Sept.
2016.