this was an essay Q i had last year... what do you think? Should we still celebrate even though we treated the Native Americans badly?
I think we should celebrate...
2007-09-20 09:20:26 · 21 answers · asked by Lauren. 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Cultures & Groups ➔ Other - Cultures & Groups
oh and a side note... i saw DaNi blocked me because she didnt like my answer... boohoooooo i think im gonna cry... grow up... and please remove that chip...
2007-09-20 09:23:33 · update #1
yep. regardless of his treatment (a. WE aren't HIM and therefore we did nothing wrong, and b. no living person was the recipient of said treatment.) we wouldn't be here otherwise - thats reason enough to celebrate. I love my house and my town.
2007-09-20 09:24:23 · answer #1 · answered by slushpile reader 6 · 1⤊ 3⤋
Columbus didn't treat the Natives badly. It was the later arrival of Spanish conquistadors who slaughtered and decimated the Aztecs. Once Europeans gained a foothold and began claiming territory in America was when the Natives truly became marginalized and mistreated, leading to slaughters akin to genocide. In the defense of the Spanish, they actually sought to integrate the natives who were willing to join and convert to Christianity, but the British settlers were completely against such integration.
This is a major condensation of history, but the point is Columbus's arrivals weren't littered with extreme treachery. As stated by someone else, he was an explorer with good motives.
2007-09-20 09:32:36 · answer #2 · answered by Antena 3 · 1⤊ 2⤋
First of all, what do you mean, we? I didn't and don't treat Native Americans badly (and by "badly", I mean mass murder and enslavement).
Do people really "celebrate" Columbus Day? It's kind of like a free day off, right? Do people even realize what it's about? I think if more people did, then we wouldn't be celebrating it.
Why would you want to commemorate a person like that?
Let's just keep the three day weekend and call it, Mental Health Day. All in favor?
2007-09-20 09:26:26 · answer #3 · answered by xfildchild 2 · 1⤊ 3⤋
I think you should if you want.
But aside even from the indian issue, you might wonder why it's considered an italian holiday.
Columbus was Portugese and the Italians refused to help fund his adventure.
AND he didn't really discover the New World a) because people already lived here B) because the Vikings had already set up colonies in Canada C) because the polynesians came over many centuries before in rafts...
AND neither he, nor any educated person, most especially sailors, believed the world was flat. That matter had been settled by the Greeks centuries before and the chinese centuries before that.
Isn't it amazing how history gets twisted?
and for the thumbs down:
isn't it amazing how people hate the plain truth?
2007-09-20 09:26:20 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 3⤋
Well, your question implies we treated the natives badly. Columbus wasn't part of we, so it's got nothing to do with whether or not we should celebrate Columbus Day. He was a decent explorer with good motives, whether or not the more widely spread history conveys that. Yeah, I think we should celebrate it.
2007-09-20 09:25:10 · answer #5 · answered by Joshua B 4 · 3⤊ 4⤋
Beyond school being close...who even does anything to "celebrate" it? Since being out of school, I'm never really aware when it is Columbus day anyhow.
2007-09-20 10:17:05 · answer #6 · answered by Indigo 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Columbus day or White European Day of the Eradication of Aboriginals is a day to reflect on one's past. We shouldn't forget our past no matter how vile it may be. Those who forgot the past are doomed to repeat it.
EDIT: It isn't a day of 'celebration' as many wrongly believe it to be but a day of reflection.
2007-09-20 09:24:54 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
I dont celebrate Columbus day, I see it as the end of a magnificent civilization in central America, most of the European seamen were opportunists sent by their kings and queens to raid, pillage and destroy in their search for gold and silver.
2007-09-20 09:38:17 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
We celebrate to get a day off. Actually if you celebrate the good he did, you should take a moment to forgive the bad.
2007-09-20 09:24:30 · answer #9 · answered by Whynot 5 · 2⤊ 2⤋
you don't like the way Columbus treated the natives? You think he should have treated them badly. Sounds like racism in your question.
2007-09-20 09:25:50 · answer #10 · answered by wisemancumth 5 · 1⤊ 3⤋