NOTE: “Stop Saying That” is a blog series written to make us think about phrases we say without giving them much thought. It is hoped that knowing the broader context behind these sayings will cause us to stop mindlessly repeating them.

Stop Saying That: Columbus Discovered America

The United States has a troublesome history with Christopher Columbus. It’s one that US-Americans need to understand more fully if we’re to live out our proclaimed ideals.

For a quick review, Columbus was born in the Republic of Genoa (in what is present-day Italy) in 1451. His name in his native Ligurian was Cristoffa Corombo, in Italian Cristoforo Colombo, and in Spanish Cristóbal Colón. This last translation is important because it was Spanish monarchs who funded his 1492 expedition that landed him and his three ships in the Western Hemisphere.

In search of trade riches, Columbus sailed west from Europe toward what he thought was Asia. Because he believed that the world was round, he was sure that if he sailed westward long enough, he would come around the other side of the globe to Asia. What he didn’t know was that there was another whole continent in between: the Americas!

The first reason, then, to stop saying that Columbus “discovered” America is that he actually blundered upon it. His little flotilla was looking for India, and the Americas simply got in the way.

The second reason to stop saying this is because the “discovery” was only something new to him. Millions of indigenous peoples lived up and down the continent, hunting, farming, and living whole and complete lives without needing to be discovered.

The final reason to stop celebrating Columbus is that he was a really terrible person. Historians know, based on Columbus’ own diaries, that he committed numerous atrocities on the local peoples of the Caribbean. Members of the Taino and Arawak tribes were victims of slavery, dismemberment, torture, and killing. Dogs were used to hunt down natives who tried to flee. Columbus’ soldiers used captives for sword practice.

Despite this history, Columbus’ legacy is widely represented throughout North and South America. Spanish-speaking countries use his name on their currency, and there are locations across the U.S. and beyond that bear his name. Columbus Day was made a national holiday in 1934 after lobbying by Italian Americans.

For native peoples across the Americas, however, the arrival of Columbus was the first of a long line of European colonizers bent on extracting riches from the land and exploiting indigenous peoples in the process. With that unromanticized understanding, there is a growing movement afoot to stop celebrating Columbus Day, currently observed on the second Monday of October.

While the holiday was once seen as a day to celebrate Italian immigrant pride, it is increasingly becoming associated both with the personal cruelty of Columbus and the wider European assault on and exploitation of native peoples across the continent. In that light, many are proposing the national holiday be changed to a celebration of indigenous peoples. We at FLYB believe that that is a change worth considering.

There are two U.S. holidays in October: Columbus Day and Hallowe’en. The first is a national holiday on which banks and governmental offices (most notably, post offices) are closed. The latter is observed in personal lives to varying degrees.

Columbus Day This holiday, originally October 12, is now observed on the second Monday of the month. It commemorates the European “discovery” of North America.

Hallowe’en This holiday is celebrated the last day of October by children and adults as well. It includes parties, wearing costumes, and soliciting “treats” from one’s neighbors.

Other activities this month: deer hunting season, pumpkin carving, corn mazes

Quiz on Hallowe’en (answers below)
1. The name Hallowe’en is an abbreviation of All Hallows Evening, which ____.
a. commemorates the medieval disappearance of King and Queen Hallow from their castle in England.
b. celebrates a daylong dance festival originating in Hallow, Scotland.
c. is the day before All Saints Day in the Christian church.
d. is a translation from the Welsh language, meaning “Greetings to you and your dead ancestors.”

2. All Saints Day ____.
a. recognizes all people who have died before us.
b. is the same as Dia de los Muertes.
c. comes on November 1.
d. All of the above

3. Conservative Christians do not celebrate Hallowe’en in the United States because ____.
a. they are afraid of ghosts, skeletons, and witches.
b. they believe that Hallowe’en is a way to honor evil spirits and even the Devil.
c. they do not think children should receive free candy from strangers.
d. the color of Hallowe’en is a symbol of Satan.

4. The primary colors of Hallowe’en are ____.
a. orange and black.
b. black and white.
c. pink and black.
d. red, white, and black.

5. For Hallowe’en, many Americans ____.
a. decorate their houses with symbols of death and scary objects.
b. carve faces into pumpkins, put lighted candles in them, and display them at their houses.
c. wear costumes at parties and escort costumed children around the neighborhood in search of candy and other treats.
d. All of the above

6. The most acceptable time for trick-or-treating from house to house is _____.
a. from 6:00-8:00 PM on Hallowe’en evening.
b. best learned from a colleague or person in your neighborhood.
c. from dusk till midnight.
d. the Saturday evening before October 31.

Quiz on Columbus Day (answers below)
1. According to historians, Christopher Columbus ____.
a. was the first European to set foot in the Americas.
b. arrived in North America in 1492.
c. sailed his three ships back to Spain loaded with riches in 1493.
d. was looking for a faster route to India and discovered the Americas by mistake.

2. Where did Christopher Columbus never visit?
a. Cuba and Hispaniola
b. North America
c. Central America
d. South America

3. Christopher Columbus was born in ____.
a. Italy
b. Spain
c. Portugal
d. Colombia

4. Native Americans today protest the celebration of Columbus Day because ____.
a. he isn’t really Colombian.
b. they know Leif Erikson was the first European to land in the New World.
c. his exploration introduced disease, slavery and genocide of native people, and eventual European colonization of the Americas.
d. he is commemorated in places like the District of Columbia, Columbus Ohio, and Columbia Missouri.

5. Most Americans celebrate Columbus Day by ____.
a. watching parades.
b. taking their families on vacation.
c. flying American and Italian flags.
d. None of the above

6. Fewer Americans celebrate the historical significance of Columbus Day, including the states of ____, where the focus of the date has been altered to reflect more culturally appropriate accomplishments.
a. Michigan and Tennessee
b. Hawaii and South Dakota
c. Oregon and New York
d. All of the above

————————————

ANSWERS

Hallowe’en
1. c. is the day before All Saints Day in the Christian church.
2. d. All of the above
3. b. they believe that Hallowe’en is a way to honor evil spirits and even the Devil.
4. a. orange and black.
5. d. All of the above
6. b. best learned from a colleague or person in your neighborhood.

Columbus Day
1. d. was looking for a faster route to India and discovered the Americas by mistake.
2. b. North America
3. a. Italy
4. c. his exploration introduced disease, slavery and genocide of native people, and eventual European colonization of the Americas.
5. d. None of the above
6. b. Hawaii and South Dakota