How do you reconcile the two very different positions represented in President Reagan's proclamation and the Transform Columbus Day movement? Where do you stand in this debate?
I understand both positions. President Reagan has a good point that Columbus brought the "spirit of the Renaissance" with him when he discovered North America which helped encourage the development of America but he also goes onto say Galileo, Copernicus, and others were similar to Columbus too in the fact that they had a strong quest for knowledge and a willingness to push passed what is widely accepted to discover new progress but they did not get a day devoted to them. If what Transform Columbus Day says is true and Columbus did murder many indigenous and promoted slave trade, domination of other people, domination of other belief systems, domination of women and men, and more then why do we devote a day to someone who brought those ideas to a country that later resulted in a Civil War in this country? I believe that Columbus's drive and determination is commendable but his actions, decisions, beliefs, and ideas he brought to America do not make me want to devote or celebrate a day for him.
Everything in the world is dialectic, as nothing can satisfy every one. There's no doubt that Columbus discovered North America has its significant meaning in U.S. history. To some extent, we can say it was Columbus who brought America to life; otherwise, who knows when America would be discovered? However, there are always sacrifices to make a great progress. Columbus murdered many indigenous people in order to bring more people to the new land, and construct and build the land. If he didn't take that indispensable step first, what would America look like? Despite the cruelty, Columbus did help develop the new land and make history. His innovation,spirit and contribution couldn't be neglected. For this reason, I do agree to devote a day to commemorate this history. However, instead of celebrating how Columbus discovered America, people should transform Columbus Day to have the new meaning, at present. We should pay more attention to respect and harmony to make up the bloody and cruelty from history. We can hope for a bright future and a harmonious society as we commemorate the significance of the Columbus Day.
I think that the real truth lies somewhere in the middle of the argument. I do believe that Columbus was very brave to come over and try to discover foreign lands. He had no idea what he might run into, and risked his life to explore. However, not everything Columbus did was good either. He did kill millions of natives that were already living in America. He completely destroyed the lives of many people literally and figuratively. However, that doesn't mean that everything that he did was bad. I hate to sit on the fence for this issue, but I feel like I don't fully agree with either side. Both of them bring valid points that make sense. As for having a holiday in his name, I do not think that we should. Because of this gray area surrounding him, he should not have everyone observe him. However, a new holiday should be placed in our federal calendar instead of him. This way, we can observe some great American while not praising a controversial figure.
I understand where the people involved in the Transform Columbus Day are coming from, as they want the entire truth about Columbus to be known. I agree completely with this. However, I also believe in second chances. While Columbus made mistakes in his life, I can look past that and see the incredibly important and world-altering discovery that Columbus was involved with. Regardless of natives that were already there, Columbus going there opened up the world at that time to a whole new world. The world today would be unimaginably different without North and South America. I do not even know if I give all of the credit for this to Columbus, but I recognize he was involved in this and for that reason I believe he should have a day to honor this. I have to then think about transforming Columbus Day. I agree that while it should be a day we recognize, I do not know if holiday is the right word. Whatever it is called, I feel the whole story of Columbus should be known and taught, not simply the good side. Columbus should be recognized for the great accomplish of his, yet his entire story should be told so people know all about the man they teach their children about. I also believe people could learn that there are oppurtunities in life and even if someone makes a mistake, they can still rebound from that and make something that is positive and beneficial.
I understand where both sides are coming from. Columbus did commit many malicious actions toward the indigenous people. However, his explorations are responsible for the transition into the New World. I am going to have to side with Reagan on this topic, because Columbus' voyages are what provoked people to start colonizing into the New World. This is especially important to America because America is filled with immigrants from all over the world, that is why it is called the "melting pot". To celebrate a man who is responsible for bringing all of the cultures in America is very suiting in my opinion. While I admit that Columbus committed many bad actions, in his defense almost all European explorers did during that time period. I realize that it doesn't make it right that all the explorers were doing this, but we cannot blame Columbus for something that was condoned back then.
Both sides bring up valid points that support their opinions about Columbus Day. Regan talks about only the good points bout Columbus and describes him as a hero and the influence for other people to advendure out to the new land. I agree that celebrating and honoring him with a day is ok, because I grew up celebrating it. Even though Transform Columbus Day does bring up the horrible things he did and I understand why they are trying to fight for their opinions I think that they should just make their opinion's more heard and if they do not want to celebrate it then they don't have to. They should jus ignore, but let their opinion be lost. Also some people really do celebrate it and honor him and they should be able to.
I can see where Ronald Reagan and the people from Transform Columbus Day are coming from. Christopher Columbus did make a crucial discovery, and could have inspired people to take risks and be adventurous. However, when Columbus Day is celebrated, people often overlook the bad things he did in order to claim America for the Europeans. When I was in elementary school, teachers never told me about Columbus wiping out the Native Americans. Children should be taught what really happened in 1492 concerning Christopher Columbus and his voyage, even if teachers have to water the story down to make it a little less violent. The day Christopher Columbus landed in North America should be honored, but less emphasis should be placed on Columbus himself. If Columbus is going to be at all celebrated, it should be for his determination and quest for knowledge, not for his actions once he reached America.
Columbus definitely showed a "willingness and fortitude to go beyond what is accepted as the truth..." Columbus made up his own truth. Though he thought he'd sailed all the way to Japan, he really only ended up in the Florida keys. He did not "discover new horizons." He violently claimed the already-inhabited lands for himself and his king. Did Columbus feel accomplished? Yes. Why? He thought he had found something truly astounding. Had he, in fact, 'found' anything, especially anything astounding? No. Reagan, however, correctly regards Columbus's eagerness as a navigator. I understand the appeal he is trying to make in that Columbus was courageous, but I think he glorifies him too much. Columbus didn't go anywhere alone. The only courageous thing he did was to keep sailing when his sailors wanted him dead. Although I don't necessarily believe Columbus Day should not be celebrated, I think many people celebrate it for the wrong reasons. Columbus did nothing great for anybody. He 'accomplished' his goal, as his way of thinking. He did however, do something none of us could even imagine doing, leaving home with no clear path, not knowing where we'll end up, not knowing where we are when we arrive, and not truly knowing where we were when we return home. Kudos to Christopher Columbus for having that courage. We can celebrate to that, but then should we also celebrate every other courageous endeavor someone has achieved? Or should we actually celebrate someone's accomplishments that truly had an impact on our history. I don't agree with Reagan's speech, though I can sort of understand why he made it. And I do think we should recognize Columbus's work, if not only because ending the holiday would confuse many Americans.
Columbus definitely killed significant number amount of people, which is critical. However his discovery of New Land brought a crucial impact up to now. I really can understand Native Americans’ feelings. However those are all past things. It is really sad, but now it doesn’t happen anymore. Native Americans can have hatred feelings personally, just like there are still some Koreans and Chinese hate Japanese, but not word wide. If people have to care of the past events, the world should be full of hatred due to the wars. In contrast, his discovery of the New Land, until now, is beneficial to us. Still however, his malicious act shouldn’t be forgiven; the world should know what he had done. Especially for children, we should teach them that even though he is a person who should be praised for his boldness and knowledge, he killed so many people. Ultimately he is neither smart but cruel. We should not celebrate for the Columbus himself, but we should celebrate for his knowledge and his great discovery of the New Land.
I wondered who made Coloumbus day and why it was made recently. In proclamation, the day was made to honor the Coloumbus's courage, his discovery, and opportunity that we got after his discovery. The proclamation seemed to be reasonable and appropriate. However, I felt somewhat disappointment because this proclamation did not cover the other story which is about indigenous people. Otherwise, one question occur to me. "Does opportunity that is made by sacrificing someone should be concerned as sprit of The Renaissance? I don't think so. Even though Coloumbus made opportunity for Europeans and people in america in future, he is still one who killed many Indian. Therefore, honoring Columbus without considering people who scarified by him should not be happened.
Both sides of the argument bring up very interesting points. I think if i had to choose a side it would be with Reagan. Columbus did a lot for our country his actions do deserve to be recognized. I think that because he was the first European explorer to discover the Americas and the United States, he should be recognized for this by the United States by having a day in his honor. I see where Native Americans come from saying that he doesn't deserve it. Columbus caused a lot of pain for many different people. But when Native Americans say they do not approve of Columbus day, they are saying that the man who has had a huge influence on our and their culture does not deserve to be recognized. In my opinion Native Americans saying that means they don't support the exploration of America to be celebrated. I think it should be.
I think both sides have a strong arguement, they both have reasonable reasons to either want to support Colombus Day or not support it. I think it is more of a debate that people can't really win, it is just that some people do support it and others don't and you can't really get a real result out of that. In this debate honestly I would probably side with Reagan because he made some valid points on why Colombus should be recognized and have his own holiday. He was the first explorer to discover America even though there was already civilization there. But still he also proved to people that the world was round and not flat and took that risk to set out on a journey and explore the world and I think he deserves to be praised for that.
Reading though both websites, I can see and understand both positions. In President Reagan's proclamation, he recognize columbus as a brave nation hero to explore the land and bring America new nation; offer more opportunities to US citizens. However, on the other side, the Transform Columbus Day movement website hold another totally different position which protest the event, and want to take f the Columbus day vacation. Because they think Columbus is responsible for the murder of millions of indigenous people, and it is him to start the slavery; they think he is evil and inhuman which absolutely should not be celebrated or remembered. Overall, I think we still should celebrate the day and give credits to Columbus, it is him to explore a new land for people to live, and provides more opportunities to people in this nation.
I understand both positions. President Reagan has a good point that Columbus brought the "spirit of the Renaissance" with him when he discovered North America which helped encourage the development of America but he also goes onto say Galileo, Copernicus, and others were similar to Columbus too in the fact that they had a strong quest for knowledge and a willingness to push passed what is widely accepted to discover new progress but they did not get a day devoted to them. If what Transform Columbus Day says is true and Columbus did murder many indigenous and promoted slave trade, domination of other people, domination of other belief systems, domination of women and men, and more then why do we devote a day to someone who brought those ideas to a country that later resulted in a Civil War in this country? I believe that Columbus's drive and determination is commendable but his actions, decisions, beliefs, and ideas he brought to America do not make me want to devote or celebrate a day for him.
ReplyDeleteEverything in the world is dialectic, as nothing can satisfy every one. There's no doubt that Columbus discovered North America has its significant meaning in U.S. history. To some extent, we can say it was Columbus who brought America to life; otherwise, who knows when America would be discovered? However, there are always sacrifices to make a great progress. Columbus murdered many indigenous people in order to bring more people to the new land, and construct and build the land. If he didn't take that indispensable step first, what would America look like? Despite the cruelty, Columbus did help develop the new land and make history. His innovation,spirit and contribution couldn't be neglected. For this reason, I do agree to devote a day to commemorate this history. However, instead of celebrating how Columbus discovered America, people should transform Columbus Day to have the new meaning, at present. We should pay more attention to respect and harmony to make up the bloody and cruelty from history. We can hope for a bright future and a harmonious society as we commemorate the significance of the Columbus Day.
ReplyDeleteI think that the real truth lies somewhere in the middle of the argument. I do believe that Columbus was very brave to come over and try to discover foreign lands. He had no idea what he might run into, and risked his life to explore. However, not everything Columbus did was good either. He did kill millions of natives that were already living in America. He completely destroyed the lives of many people literally and figuratively. However, that doesn't mean that everything that he did was bad. I hate to sit on the fence for this issue, but I feel like I don't fully agree with either side. Both of them bring valid points that make sense. As for having a holiday in his name, I do not think that we should. Because of this gray area surrounding him, he should not have everyone observe him. However, a new holiday should be placed in our federal calendar instead of him. This way, we can observe some great American while not praising a controversial figure.
ReplyDeleteI understand where the people involved in the Transform Columbus Day are coming from, as they want the entire truth about Columbus to be known. I agree completely with this. However, I also believe in second chances. While Columbus made mistakes in his life, I can look past that and see the incredibly important and world-altering discovery that Columbus was involved with. Regardless of natives that were already there, Columbus going there opened up the world at that time to a whole new world. The world today would be unimaginably different without North and South America. I do not even know if I give all of the credit for this to Columbus, but I recognize he was involved in this and for that reason I believe he should have a day to honor this. I have to then think about transforming Columbus Day. I agree that while it should be a day we recognize, I do not know if holiday is the right word. Whatever it is called, I feel the whole story of Columbus should be known and taught, not simply the good side. Columbus should be recognized for the great accomplish of his, yet his entire story should be told so people know all about the man they teach their children about. I also believe people could learn that there are oppurtunities in life and even if someone makes a mistake, they can still rebound from that and make something that is positive and beneficial.
ReplyDeleteI understand where both sides are coming from. Columbus did commit many malicious actions toward the indigenous people. However, his explorations are responsible for the transition into the New World. I am going to have to side with Reagan on this topic, because Columbus' voyages are what provoked people to start colonizing into the New World. This is especially important to America because America is filled with immigrants from all over the world, that is why it is called the "melting pot". To celebrate a man who is responsible for bringing all of the cultures in America is very suiting in my opinion. While I admit that Columbus committed many bad actions, in his defense almost all European explorers did during that time period. I realize that it doesn't make it right that all the explorers were doing this, but we cannot blame Columbus for something that was condoned back then.
ReplyDeleteBoth sides bring up valid points that support their opinions about Columbus Day. Regan talks about only the good points bout Columbus and describes him as a hero and the influence for other people to advendure out to the new land. I agree that celebrating and honoring him with a day is ok, because I grew up celebrating it. Even though Transform Columbus Day does bring up the horrible things he did and I understand why they are trying to fight for their opinions I think that they should just make their opinion's more heard and if they do not want to celebrate it then they don't have to. They should jus ignore, but let their opinion be lost. Also some people really do celebrate it and honor him and they should be able to.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI can see where Ronald Reagan and the people from Transform Columbus Day are coming from. Christopher Columbus did make a crucial discovery, and could have inspired people to take risks and be adventurous. However, when Columbus Day is celebrated, people often overlook the bad things he did in order to claim America for the Europeans. When I was in elementary school, teachers never told me about Columbus wiping out the Native Americans. Children should be taught what really happened in 1492 concerning Christopher Columbus and his voyage, even if teachers have to water the story down to make it a little less violent. The day Christopher Columbus landed in North America should be honored, but less emphasis should be placed on Columbus himself. If Columbus is going to be at all celebrated, it should be for his determination and quest for knowledge, not for his actions once he reached America.
ReplyDeleteColumbus definitely showed a "willingness and fortitude to go beyond what is accepted as the truth..." Columbus made up his own truth. Though he thought he'd sailed all the way to Japan, he really only ended up in the Florida keys. He did not "discover new horizons." He violently claimed the already-inhabited lands for himself and his king. Did Columbus feel accomplished? Yes. Why? He thought he had found something truly astounding. Had he, in fact, 'found' anything, especially anything astounding? No. Reagan, however, correctly regards Columbus's eagerness as a navigator. I understand the appeal he is trying to make in that Columbus was courageous, but I think he glorifies him too much. Columbus didn't go anywhere alone. The only courageous thing he did was to keep sailing when his sailors wanted him dead. Although I don't necessarily believe Columbus Day should not be celebrated, I think many people celebrate it for the wrong reasons. Columbus did nothing great for anybody. He 'accomplished' his goal, as his way of thinking. He did however, do something none of us could even imagine doing, leaving home with no clear path, not knowing where we'll end up, not knowing where we are when we arrive, and not truly knowing where we were when we return home. Kudos to Christopher Columbus for having that courage. We can celebrate to that, but then should we also celebrate every other courageous endeavor someone has achieved? Or should we actually celebrate someone's accomplishments that truly had an impact on our history. I don't agree with Reagan's speech, though I can sort of understand why he made it. And I do think we should recognize Columbus's work, if not only because ending the holiday would confuse many Americans.
ReplyDeleteColumbus definitely killed significant number amount of people, which is critical. However his discovery of New Land brought a crucial impact up to now. I really can understand Native Americans’ feelings. However those are all past things. It is really sad, but now it doesn’t happen anymore. Native Americans can have hatred feelings personally, just like there are still some Koreans and Chinese hate Japanese, but not word wide. If people have to care of the past events, the world should be full of hatred due to the wars. In contrast, his discovery of the New Land, until now, is beneficial to us. Still however, his malicious act shouldn’t be forgiven; the world should know what he had done. Especially for children, we should teach them that even though he is a person who should be praised for his boldness and knowledge, he killed so many people. Ultimately he is neither smart but cruel. We should not celebrate for the Columbus himself, but we should celebrate for his knowledge and his great discovery of the New Land.
ReplyDeleteI wondered who made Coloumbus day and why it was made recently. In proclamation, the day was made to honor the Coloumbus's courage, his discovery, and opportunity that we got after his discovery. The proclamation seemed to be reasonable and appropriate. However, I felt somewhat disappointment because this proclamation did not cover the other story which is about indigenous people. Otherwise, one question occur to me. "Does opportunity that is made by sacrificing someone should be concerned as sprit of The Renaissance? I don't think so. Even though Coloumbus made opportunity for Europeans and people in america in future, he is still one who killed many Indian. Therefore, honoring Columbus without considering people who scarified by him should not be happened.
ReplyDeleteBoth sides of the argument bring up very interesting points. I think if i had to choose a side it would be with Reagan. Columbus did a lot for our country his actions do deserve to be recognized. I think that because he was the first European explorer to discover the Americas and the United States, he should be recognized for this by the United States by having a day in his honor. I see where Native Americans come from saying that he doesn't deserve it. Columbus caused a lot of pain for many different people. But when Native Americans say they do not approve of Columbus day, they are saying that the man who has had a huge influence on our and their culture does not deserve to be recognized. In my opinion Native Americans saying that means they don't support the exploration of America to be celebrated. I think it should be.
ReplyDeleteI think both sides have a strong arguement, they both have reasonable reasons to either want to support Colombus Day or not support it. I think it is more of a debate that people can't really win, it is just that some people do support it and others don't and you can't really get a real result out of that. In this debate honestly I would probably side with Reagan because he made some valid points on why Colombus should be recognized and have his own holiday. He was the first explorer to discover America even though there was already civilization there. But still he also proved to people that the world was round and not flat and took that risk to set out on a journey and explore the world and I think he deserves to be praised for that.
ReplyDeleteReading though both websites, I can see and understand both positions. In President Reagan's proclamation, he recognize columbus as a brave nation hero to explore the land and bring America new nation; offer more opportunities to US citizens. However, on the other side, the Transform Columbus Day movement website hold another totally different position which protest the event, and want to take f the Columbus day vacation. Because they think Columbus is responsible for the murder of millions of indigenous people, and it is him to start the slavery; they think he is evil and inhuman which absolutely should not be celebrated or remembered. Overall, I think we still should celebrate the day and give credits to Columbus, it is him to explore a new land for people to live, and provides more opportunities to people in this nation.
ReplyDelete