Because Christopher Columbus wasn't the true discoverer of America, why should there be a National Holiday him

Question

Christopher Columbus didn't "discover America". Leif Erickson discovered America nearly 500 years before Columbus. There is a Leif Erickson day, but shouldn't Columbus day be abolished in favor of Leif Erickson day?

Answer 1

Lets talk history...12,000 B.C.E and perhaps earlier, people from Asia cross Beringia to Alaska (Ice Age). Next, the Archaic Period, 12,000 B.C.E.-9000 B.C.E., these people diffuse throughout the Americas. Clovis era ends, Euroasians (Native Americans) domesticate wheat and rice. 3500 B.C.E, Mesoamerican peoples (Native Americans) cultivate corn and initiate neolithic revolution. 2500 B.C.E., peoples of midwestern North America(Native Americans) domesticate sunflowers and sumpweed. 1000 B.C.E., first sedentary North American communities are established by the local peoples, what we now know as Indians (Native Americans). Leif Ericcson and Columbus are just coincidental explorers in a time way, way, way after the early discoverers of North and South America.

Answer 2

Well first of all let me tell you "discover america" is subjective sentece because Here were people (the natives) that could not be a day to celebrate a "discovery" there was a meeting between races, But if it is true (of leif erickson) the Christopher Columbus day will be called the leif erickson day but since the european view point Because when the colonizers arrived in america were well received by the Indians, And what made the Europeans? Kill them to get their gold so here in america that is the day that the Europeans came to kill the natives, in those days had a lot of ignorance of the valuable was the native population...

Answer 3

Columbus Day SHOULDN'T be a holiday. Neither should Leif Erickson Day. There were already people here before Leif or Columbus arrived. Therefore neither of them "discovered" the Americas.

Do Natives not count as people???!!!

Oh yes and byderule, Cuba IS America. It's a common misconception that America is a country. It is actually two continents. Ever heard of North America & South America? If not, please look them up.

Answer 4

Techically Leif Erickson didnt discover it either.
There were native Americans here thousands of years before him.
Regardless, Erickson (if he did come to America) did not lead to colonization of the new land as Columbus did. Thus, if he did make it first, his trip wasnt as significant in the big picture.

Answer 5

simple:

Columbus discovered America, and Leif just touch it.

Columbus went to several places like Cuba, the Caribbean, Venezuela, Panama, etc. but more important he did several trips between Spain and America establishing a turning point in human history, whether it was good or bad it remains to be seen, yet the change this brought to modern life and the history is clear.

Even though, currently, many people complain about what he did, the truth is that most of America's inhabitants are related in some way with those who came thanks to Columbus and not with the original native American; hence we celebrate that day. It was a bad time to native Americans but it was a great day for most of our ancestors. So I think is fair enough to celebrate this day for the world and commemorate it for native Americans.

Answer 6

since leif erickson didnt bother to tell anyone then the holiday still belongs to Columbus. His discovery (Columbus') changed the world forever

I celebrate every day thats a holiday. If I celebrate New Years and the Chinese New Years then I get 2 of them. When I celebrate Christmas and Chanaka I get 10 holidays

Answer 7

First off, how can you discover something that people were living? Indians were living on the land first. They had the knowledge to move around on the land, but not to travel across the ocean. So, how can have a Lief Erickson Day when HE too didn't discover America?

Answer 8

actually st brendan the irish saint and missionary is credited as the first person other than the original 1st nations people to land on the now USA. leif erickson was 10th century i believe. when the northmen landed on greenland then headed for the american mainland they noted that a lot of shawnee were wearing irish armour. how else could the shawnee have gotten irish armour long before the northmen arrived?

Answer 9

Honey, so much of our history is fictitious, that American History textbooks could well serve as good examples of "comparative folklore". Besides, Columbus was the first person to come to this part of the Western hemisphere with the apparent intentions of wiping out and enslaving native populations (in the West Indies)--so he really was kind of like the first "true American"--just not in a good way!

Answer 10

Good point
and he discover Cuba ,not even America .
there was a whole crowd all through history,who has been discovering America
The first were probably French cave men,during the ice Age ,their flint heads have been found both sides of the Ocean ,Phoenicians,then Irish priest in Leather boats,Vikings ,probably some exstraterestriels as well ,and finaly the Spanish.