Monday, October 12, 2015
Some Places Are Celebrating A Different Holiday On Columbus Day
As most of you probably know, Christopher Columbus didn't discover America. Native American were here long before he was. Because of this, cities such as Seattle and Minneapolis have passed resolutions to recognize today as "Indigenous Peoples' Day" in addition to recognizing Columbus Day. At least twelve states do not recognize the holiday at all. Columbus Day has been recognized as a federal holiday since 1968. Since it is a federal holiday, state and local government cannot officially override the holiday. State and local governments hope that the push to change the focal point of the day will draw attention to the current state that most indigenous communities have suffered from decades of marginalization and oppression. Should the federal government change the recognition of the holiday from Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples' Day? What should be done about the current state of our indigenous population? If we want to cleanse America of its oppressive past, why stop at Columbus? You can make arguments for plenty of other historical figures as to why they should be discredited due to oppression of the indigenous.
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I think it would be a step in the right direction if the government at least more widely accepted Indigenous People's Day. The US in general is very patriotic, and it's very hard to admit that we've been wrong in the past. Our indigenous population is not as well taken care of as welfare people in general, and I think that needs to change.
ReplyDeleteOver the summer, I read a book about a boy growing up on a reservation and to me, it sounded awful. Something definitely needs to be done to promote the equality of all human beings, and maybe Indigenous People's Day would be a way of getting the word out that native people are still being treated like animals. However, I also believe that it is important to recognize the events of our past, good or bad. If we cease to acknowledge Columbus, we will be missing a key element in how our country came to be, although it may not put our ancestors in the best light. I am glad that states are deciding to combine these days rather than eliminate Columbus Day altogether.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think that create an Indigenous People's Day is definitely something that morally should be done, so as to wake up the public to the current mistreatment of indigenous citizens more so than to just remind us of their horrible mistreatment in the past. I do not think that Columbus Day should be forgotten about, as it does speak to remembering history as well. Furthermore, I think that is a very good idea to put those two holidays on the same day, as it helps to both recognize the two histories being intertwined and also helps to immediately bring attention to the new Indigenous People's Day. However, all of this should truly be leading to some sort of governmental action that would work to reform the treatment of native people, as that is truly the problem right now. In my opinion, that should definitely come first, and then we should focus on teaching every side to history.
ReplyDeleteI think that this change in Columbus Day is very important to US history. Personally, I never learned about what actually happened when Columbus and other explorers "discovered" America and the surrounding area. I only learned: Columbus discovered America. End of story. I think that by changing Columbus Day to Indigenous People's Day, not only would we be making a step in the right direction of righting wrongs from centuries, but it would also allow children to learn the truth about what happened then. Yes, history is biased, but you can't really deny the facts. As for cleansing America of our oppressive past, I believe that history books for students should reflect the truth, not just what we want to believe happened. History isn't something that you can make up. It happened, whether we like it or not.
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ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, I believe that that Columbus should not be the only one recognized for discovering America, as Native Americans were there long before and don't get any holiday named after them. That seems unfair to me and there should be an Indigenous People's Day, because it's the right thing to do, considering those people did discover America before Columbus. I don't think it's fair that Columbus gets all this recognition for discovering America, when in reality it was the Native Americans who lived there long before. Therefore, I think the federal government should change the recognition of the holiday from Columbus Day to Indigenous People's Day for that reason alone. Our indigenous population as a whole aren't well taken care of, in my opinion. Our indigenous population needs help! There are millions of homeless people across the country and these people are in poverty. They are people just like you and me; they are human beings. No one deserves to live a life unrecognized like that, so that needs to be changed. Although getting recognition to the indigenous people is important, I believe it's also vital to acknowledge Columbus, because he's an important figure in our history. Without Columbus there would be an empty hole in our history, he's a vital part of what everyone learns in history class and should remain that way. I think even putting these two holidays on the same day would be a great idea and it would be a great way to recognize both the indigenous and Columbus. Both deserve recognition for the importance of their discovery, North America! Kids should learn how important both are in our society, and the government should reform a treatment to help the native people, because that's still a major issue today.
ReplyDeleteI think a holiday honoring Native American culture is a good idea, but abolishing Columbus Day is a very bad idea. Columbus Day is often portrayed as an evil day, but frankly I don't see why. Columbus was not very kind to the Native Americans, but he was a very intelligent man, and an important historical figure. He was the man who made it possible for the U.S. to exist. If he had never discovered America when he did, history could have been very different.
ReplyDeleteI think Indigenous Peoples’ Day should be created as a national holiday. Although Christopher Columbus is an important historical figure, I feel like he shouldn’t have his own holiday because of all the horrible things he did to the Native Americans. I understand that Columbus was the first person to discover the Americas for European countries and open it up for settling, but Indigenous Peoples’ Day would be a better holiday to celebrate in America. In school, most people learn about all of the different explorers, but they don’t usually learn about the Native Americans who were already living on the discovered land. Indigenous Peoples’ Day would help to show people how poorly the Native Americans were treated, and how they still aren’t treated equally today. It probably wouldn’t be easy for the Federal government to eliminate Columbus Day, but combining the holidays would be a step in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteI think Indigenous Peoples’ Day should be created as a national holiday. Although Christopher Columbus is an important historical figure, I feel like he shouldn’t have his own holiday because of all the horrible things he did to the Native Americans. I understand that Columbus was the first person to discover the Americas for European countries and open it up for settling, but Indigenous Peoples’ Day would be a better holiday to celebrate in America. In school, most people learn about all of the different explorers, but they don’t usually learn about the Native Americans who were already living on the discovered land. Indigenous Peoples’ Day would help to show people how poorly the Native Americans were treated, and how they still aren’t treated equally today. It probably wouldn’t be easy for the Federal government to eliminate Columbus Day, but combining the holidays would be a step in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteI think the idea of Indigenous Peoples' Day is a good one and it is something that should be considered by many cities and towns. However, I do not think this new idea will ever reach the national holiday status. Not because people really love Columbus or that it just is not a good idea.It will not happen because the average American does not care that much, that is just a sad truth but one that needs to be realized sooner rather than later.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Columbus Day should be completely removed. The idea of it should stay, but the the name of the holiday should be changed to something like "Discoverers' Day" as Hawaii calls it. I think instead of honoring Columbus, we should be honoring the day North America was discovered. Just honoring Columbus would be wrong because it would be giving him all the credit for discovering the new land, and he isn't really a person to be looked up to considering his stance on Native Americans. I think we should also implement Indigenous Peoples' Day because it draws attention to the mistreatment of Native Americans, which might bring aid to the ones currently living in the US.
ReplyDeleteI think it's ridiculous that we don't have a nationally recognized holiday for Native Americans. I don't think we necessarily have to replace Columbus Day with one but we should have some sort of Indigenous Peoples' Day. Columbus Day isn't even recognized by 12 states so it's not even a nationally accepted holiday. I think we're long past due a holiday for Native American people. Or even a Native American history month. Many other countries that have troubled pasts with their native people have some sort of day to recognize their history and struggles. Australia for example has National Sorry Day in regards to the Aboriginal Australians. Indigenous Peoples' Day is a great idea and I think our country should have that holiday.
ReplyDeleteI think it's ridiculous that we don't have a nationally recognized holiday for Native Americans. I don't think we necessarily have to replace Columbus Day with one but we should have some sort of Indigenous Peoples' Day. Columbus Day isn't even recognized by 12 states so it's not even a nationally accepted holiday. I think we're long past due a holiday for Native American people. Or even a Native American history month. Many other countries that have troubled pasts with their native people have some sort of day to recognize their history and struggles. Australia for example has National Sorry Day in regards to the Aboriginal Australians. Indigenous Peoples' Day is a great idea and I think our country should have that holiday.
ReplyDeleteOne hears a lot of talk about "political correctness" these days - often accompanied by a nostalgic sigh in remembrance of the days where people could say just about anything they wanted. Ah, the good old days, am I right? Wait, wait a second. That was also back when women couldn't vote and blacks were legally treated as second class citizens. Political correctness is not a bad thing at all.
ReplyDeleteRecently, there's been debate over the Redskins' name. While I can't speak to how Native Americans feel about the name and I believe that, ultimately, they should be the ones to decide whether or not the name is changed, I doubt they'd want it to be changed to anything along the lines of the Christopher Columbuses (not only because that sounds awful). Could you imagine having an entire football team essentially honoring the reason that your race was decimated? I don't think having such a prominent day honoring him is such a great idea, either. The United States, as a county, and we, as citizens of that country, have done the Native American people a great disservice, going about our lives while they face enormous difficulty. Can't we at least take one small step in the right direction by honoring them and the contributions they made towards this country?
Cast aside the complaints coming from old white men lamenting the loss of Columbus Day. After the disgusting treatment of Native Americans over the last few hundred years, I think the old white men can put up with just a little more political correctness.
Finally! Why has it taken the US to realize its actual roots in this country we call our own? It's somewhat embaressing that recognizing Native American's and what they did for this country long before Columbus is a disputed topic. Iunderstand the signifcance of recognizing Columbus because of his historical context, however I think the holiday should encompass the role of Native Americans as well. If we have such a strong national pride why would we disclude such a large benefactor in our initial development as a country. I also think that this recognition will bring to attention the awful treatment that Native Americans have had over the past centuries and this is just the beginning of the repayment they deserve for what they have had to endure.
ReplyDeleteIndigenous people day can and will be a holiday in our country, and possibly replace Columbus Day, for a one word reason. Football. The football team of our capital city has been highly contested with because of its controversial name for years, and the argument has seemed to reach a boiling point recently. Many of our federal legislators have pushed for the Washington Redskins to change it's name due to it being an ethnic slur. These legislators are reaching and trying to grab onto something that will further propel their cause of not just changing the name, but promoting equality and acceptance of Native Americans. Indigenous People day might be that something.
ReplyDeleteIt is about time that the United States have begun to recognize that Native Americans first discovered our lands, not Columbus, someone who indirectly started the demise of the indigenous population. The fact that we have a federal holiday devoted to Columbus and no holidays devoted to Native Americans considering all that they have taught us and all that they have suffered. Even though Columbus does have some historical importance, the indigenous people have much more, and people need to know this. A celebration, holiday, or month devoted to Native Americans should truly be taken into great consideration by the federal government.
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ReplyDeleteI think that a middle ground can be found on the Columbus issue. I believe Columbus Day should be downgraded from a federal holiday into a holiday on which the states can decide whether they want to celebrate. I also think that there is room for indigenous peoples' day to be celebrated the on the same day as Columbus Day, or on a day near it. The people whose ancestors were affected in a negative way by Columbus' expedition at least deserve to have some type of recognition. In our current situation, it can seem as though the government may disfavor the Native American people, and that should at the very least be addressed.