Reconsidering Columbus Day: The Black Legend Revisited
PREPARATION: In addition to revisiting the readings for Lessons 5 and 6, please watch the following videos in order to prepare to complete this assignment:
1. Columbus Day (Discovery Channel): Background on the holiday as it exists in the USA.
http://www.history.com/topics/christopher-columbus/videos#christopher-columbus-man-and-myth
2. Reconsider Columbus Day: Public Service Announcement
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il5hwpdJMcg
Reconsider Columbus Day
3. 500 Nations Part 2. Watch from the beginning to 46:15. (Updated link, Fall 2019)
500 Nations – The story of native Americans – part II
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOU_phQTZ0Y
RECOMMENDED: Crash Course in World History. The Black Legend.
The Black Legend, Native Americans, and Spaniards: Crash Course US History #1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6E9WU9TGrec&t=19s
TOPIC: RECONSIDERING COLUMBUS DAY.
Every October, in towns and cities across the United States, masses of citizens gather to celebrate Columbus Day. The Columbus Day parade has become a revered tradition in many communities. However, increasingly, Columbus Day is greeted with derision and protest on the part of many. In fact, many cities in the USAincluding Los Angeles– are opting to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day in place of Columbus Day.
Take a look at the following article from last year:
https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/08/us/columbus-day-vs-indigenous-peoples-day/index.html
Typically, Columbus Day is particularly important to Italian Americans, and particularly offensive to many Native Americans, for obvious reasons. The defenders of Columbus point out that he was simply a man of his time, that it is human nature to explore, that Columbus was one of history’s greatest explorers, and that he had no way to be aware of what he was about to discover or what the consequences of his discovery would be. Without Columbus, or someone like him, America would never have become what it is.
Detractors counter that Columbus was directly responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of New World natives, who succumbed to European weapons and diseases. To them, the “discovery” was just an encounter. After all, the “discovered” knew where and who they were (after all, Columbus thought he had found India!). The New World would have been far better off “undiscovered.”
So with all this, in your opinion should we “reconsider Columbus Day? Do you see Columbus as a hero or a villain? Why? Address the controversy surrounding this issue. While this issue goes far beyond historical fact (Columbus could hardly know what we know today), you should try to place yourself in his context–the urge to explore, the historical context in which he sailed in terms of economics, moral values, tradition, etc. Also consider the context of the peoples he “discovered,” their reactions, and subsequent events. Use what you learn from the video clips to help you articulate the point of view of the indigenous peoples living in Latin America today.
REQUIREMENTS: Write 225-250 words defending your position. You MUST include ideas from the article and videos as support for your ideas. Please make direct reference to the article and video clips in your response as well as any pertinent information you learned while preparing for the course.
