Christopher Columbus: Does Christopher Columbus Deserve His Own

Holiday?

http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/columbus.htm

Three hundred years passed between Columbus's discovery of the America and the first known celebration of that discovery. In 1792, a group called the Columbian Order organized a ceremony in New York City to commemorate the 300th anniversary of Columbus's discovery of the New World. Since then, we have been observing his accomplishments every October by taking a day off from work and school. We honor heroes in many ways one of which is a day of observance set aside to honor them. Do you think the actions of Christopher Columbus meet the criteria of a hero? Does Christopher Columbus deserve his own holiday?

Banknote images sources:http://www.rankopedia.com/Greatest-Person-on-a-Banknote/Step1/19629/.htmhttp://www-personal.umich.edu/~jbourj/money1.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_on_banknotes

Background Essay:After the Civil War, a group of Italian immigrants in New York organized the first real celebration of that discovery. In the years that followed, other groups of Italian immigrants did likewise. In 1892, President Benjamin Harrison issued a proclamation in honor of the 400th anniversary of Columbus's landing in the Bahamas. Harrison did not, however, make the day a national holiday. Seventeen years later, in 1905, Colorado became the first state to designate October 12th as a holiday. In later years, other states did the same. Then, in 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared October 12th a federal legal holiday. It remained such until 1971, when Congress moved the official

observance to the second Monday of October. Although Columbus Day continues to be a national holiday, it is not without controversy. Some biographers have described Columbus's initial mission as a quest "for gold, for God, and for glory." Yet somewhere along the way, something went tragically awry. But Columbus's explorations were not without significance. While he himself never reached India, his accounts served as an inspiration to future explorers. His writings and exploits influenced nearly two centuries of exploration and discovery. Eventually, the Americas were recognized as "new" territory, and a western sea route to the East was discovered. His courage, determination, and persistence are held up to generations of children as ideals to emulate.