Why is it that Americans continue to celebrate a mass murderer as a great national hero?

Question

Do you think that American's today should abandon Christorpher Columbus Day? This holiday was created during a time when America (mainly everyone) was extremely racist towards native americans (and many other nationalities); referring to them as savage beasts. So, it's no surprise that they exalted Christopher Columbus as a national hero.But, here we are in the 21st century and we are not ready, as a nation, to except our sins and put this shameful "hella- day" to rest and apologize to Native Americans for the offense and for making them relive that horror every year. Throwing it in their faces as if nothing wrong happend. Are we that cold hearted?Mass murder and slavery commited by Columbus and his Conquistadors occurred hundreds of years ago, and wiped out the Aztec Nation (millions) from this planet, those actions has a great impact on Native Americans to date. It's a shame to condone this.How are we to hold our heads up high and proclaim to be "Leaders of the Developed World"?

To my understanding Native Americans don't practice cannabalism or enslave one another to my knowledge. And Europeans were very familiar with cannabalism too, remember Jamestown? But instead of saying "look at what they did? I'm asking about our responsibility today, today, today as Americans to do what is right, today, the present. Or are we still have blood thirsty mentalities. Who said that mass murder brought about progress? In my view, we are degressing. Mass murder has never made the world a better place. We have to try a different approach than what we have done in the past, other than that we are going to continue to destroy the families of the earth. Do you think slavery brought about progress too? Sometimes I think we, Americans, are brainwashed, we have no diplomacy at all and think that we know better than other cultures. I am not a history major but I think the holiday is wrong.

What about replacing Columbus Day with Che Guevera Day and or Mahatma Ghandi Day, yeah! that's more like it. They deserve our national and global recognition.

Answer 1

right on. how can you discover a place that was already inhabited by the native americans. we sugar coat everything in our history books in this country. i'm tired of the establishment telling me who i should consider a hero, or anything else for that matter. let the facts speak for themselves, racism is alive and well in this country. the white man brought disease, famine, rape and murder to this land but we rarely hear that side, all we see is pictures of pilgrims feeding the poor, dumb indians when in fact the pilgrims would have died if it weren't for the native americans feeding them. we need a serious reality check in this country.

Answer 2

I am not about to defend the man or the holiday. The only reason one society overcomes another is firepower. Despite what you may hear about diplomacy it is firepower that dominates the world. The american indians are what they are today not because their societal beliefs and philosophies were not worthy... by comparison they were just like the rest of the world... mostly good people, some bad and i find it interesting that they were God-fearing also (there is a higher being and we all have that "knowledge" within us). They are no longere a society for one reason... gunpowder. Europe had it... native americans didn't. Was Columbus the driving force? Was he responsible for the demise of the native american? No... in fact, he wasn't even that great an explorer... he was searching for India... hence the native american reference of "Indians". What happened here was inevitable and this sort of thing has happened here on earth since the beginning of recorded history and, i am afraid, it will continue.

What we need is a common enemy... like from another planet or something... then we will be "ONE".

I vote for Ben Franklin Day... now THERE was a MAN... inventor, diplomat and his negotiations with France are the only reason we are free today to discuss the value of Christopher Columbus.

Answer 3

Um, you're putting together a few different things to make a picture that isn't entirely historically accurate. Christopher Columbus was brave enough to sail to what was commonly believe to be the edge of the world, and he found a continent that europe hadn't known about. He never set foot on the Continents of North America or South America (he really discovered the carribean). The Conquistadors belonged to Spain, not Columbus, and sailed across the atlantic on later voyages.

I won't claim that Christopher Columbus was a saint- he was just a business man looking for a cheaper way to get spices out of India, and he did some pretty bad things to the people he actually met, but I think you've demonized him beyond reality here.

Answer 4

I'm sure that this argument will go on and on. Just remember that the Native Americans suffered from periodic epidemics just as Europeans did, they fought each other viciously, and the Aztecs, at least, engaged in human sacrifice on a large scale. They experienced famine with natural disasters. Furthermore, the population of the Americas at the time of Columbus is subject to wide debate.

Answer 5

OK I know you are not going to agree with me but here goes anyway. For his time (and yes that is relevant), Columbus was a great man, you have to remember nobody had sailed West from Europe at this time and found land or returned from that land. Yes in the morality of today he did some very bad things, but at that time slavery was a done thing and let's not forget the Aztecs weren't above taking slaves and sacrificing their enemies after a battle to their various Gods. So all in all I don't have a problem memorializing this man.

Answer 6

I'm not sure your question is worth answering, since my first impulse is to say, "Get a life!", but here goes....Columbus didn't come here looking for colonies. He was looking for a western route to India. Considering the culture he came from, I'm sure the Native Americans did look like savages to him. People in that era were not as "enlightened" as we are, or at least most of us. Columbus didn't send the Conquistadors, Ferdinand did. It's a watershed moment in history, no matter how bad the eventual consequences were.

Answer 7

Grow up. Columbus was a man of his time--shaped by his time. I guess it was okay for the Caribs and the rest of the idigenous american tribes to war and kill each other and make slaves of each other--it is just morally wrong for someone from Europe to do the same thing. Nothing to apologize to Native Americans for any more than Italians should apologize to English for the roman invasion of England. this is history--the fact that a european opened the way to a new world is what is being celebrated. The AZtecs--if you look at the lore, they did human sacrafices--took slaves as they expanded their empire--wiped up locals in areas they expanded into--not very nice people. So why was it okay for them to conqour someone--but when a European returns the favor--it's wrong. GROW UP!

Answer 8

Che Gueverra is a modern day mass murderer. He killed thousands of innocent Cubans, Bolivians and Colombians.

Colombus discovered the Americas though he did take some slaves back to Spain for show and tell, as was demanded by the morals of his day.

Perhaps you need to get your facts straight.

Answer 9

Hey, he did open the new world to settlement and whatever else you have to say about the USA, It must be about the best place in the world to live. Look at all the people that want to come here to live....

Of couse that brings us back to the failed immigration policy of the Native Americans

Answer 10

Do you want to ban Christmas, too? Many people have been tortured or killed in the name of Jesus than were by Columbus or Pizarro or Cortez.

BTW, Columbus didn't have Conquistadors. Conquistadors are associated with the exploration of South and Central America.