Monday marked the celebration of a man whose historical impact is exceeded by few. As we all know, Christopher Columbus captained the first ship to reach the Caribbean and spread news of the new continents to the rest of the world. This fundamentally altered the course of human history, and led to the settlement of colonies in the Americas by European countries. This colonization laid the groundwork that modern Western civilization is built upon.
However, the past few years have seen growing opposition to the federal holiday. Many may remember that last year, a petition circulated to denounce Columbus Day and instead hold Indigenous Peoples’ Day (IPD) in lieu. This petition eventually made its way to the Board of Trustees, although they refused to vote on it. Despite the obstacles, the groups in favor of IPD
continue to forge onward, hoping to one day replace Columbus Day
altogether.
Even though their hearts are in the right place, it is a mistake to pursue this goal. Before I delve into the reasoning, I want to be clear about my stance on the newly proposed holiday. It is worthy to have a holiday to commemorate the Native American tribes that lived here before European colonization. Cultural contributions from the tribes are unbelievably beautiful, and unfortunately ignored. Michigan is home to 11 federally-recognized tribal governments, and the degree to which we preserve the culture of these groups is an indicator of how well we manage our cultural fabric. Nations that neglect cultural preservation in favor of progress ignore the universal truth that cultural bonding create strong nations. In a country with such diverse populations inhabiting it, celebrating each other’s culture is the only way to both preserve it and strengthen the community.
The qualm I have with the advocacy then lies not with the introduction of a new holiday, but the eradication of the former one. Some claim that Columbus practiced unspeakable horrors on the natives he encountered, bringing with him war and slavery. A certain version of history has been driven forward by social justice and white-guilt folks within the last few years that casts Europeans as barbaric invaders that interrupted and destroyed an otherwise peaceful world. This is, in the very least, moral refereeing led astray, and at most, an intentional fictionalization of history.
The truth is, Europeans didn’t invent slavery or conquest, nor were they the sole beneficiaries of it or immune to being enslaved or discriminated against themselves. Early accounts indicate slavery was a central structure in society since the beginning of human civilization, and was most prominent
early on in Egypt with the enslavement of the Jewish people. In every region of Earth, slavery was commonplace, including pre-Columbian America. Yes, Native Americans enslaved each other. As far as the conquering and exploitation of other nations, this is obviously something that has existed since the beginning of human society. Europe has a long history of violent war, as does Asia, as does Africa, as do the Americas. The idea that Native Americans sustained a peaceful and morally pure society is simply not true. For instance, the word “cannibal” comes from Columbus encountering the Caribs, the tribe of natives that ate other people. According to accounts, this tribe had locked cages of enemy tribe’s boys who were purposefully fattened up and slaughtered for food. Female captives were used primarily for producing babies, which were also consumed. While we’re speaking of Central America, the Aztecs made habit of capturing and sacrificing tens of thousands of people to their gods every year. They would bring them to the top of their pyramid-like temples, where their beating hearts were torn from their chest, their limbs ripped or cut off and their carcass rolled down the steps.
The purpose of bringing this to attention isn’t to perpetrate whataboutism or point fingers. The Aztecs were living in a completely different time, as was Columbus, as was everybody in history. If we’re going to begin pointing fingers and calling Columbus “genocidal,” or casting Europeans as “land stealers,” we must also condemn the natives who committed the same crimes. When highlighting moral transgressions, we cannot do it selectively. We ought to understand moral relativism in context, denounce the evil acts of past times and still be able to celebrate the great achievements of profound men and women. Happy Columbus Day.
Dr. Brooks Esq • Nov 4, 2018 at 10:01 am
I think this piece is very well thought out and researched as it gives the reality of who Columbus is to America. When Columbus stepped off that first ship in the Caribbean it was the first step for this great nation becoming the greatest nation in history this side of Heaven.
The one thing I don’t like about this piece is that it argues for an Indigenous Peoples Day. What a load of garbage. We should not be celebrating the conquered people. The only time in our history that this was justified was at the end of the civil war when the North allowed the South to honor their heroes. These were Americans fighting Americans, so this is understood. As for the Indians, they should have been absorbed into the new European culture and become full American brothers.
The only ones who should’ve been given land are the ones who allied with the Europeans. Only people willfully ignorant of the real history believe that the European takeover of America was genocide. It is a well-known fact that the Indians were not peaceful with each other but had been warring against each other over land and resources long before the Europeans showed up. Both sides did some pretty horrific things to each other but neither side made it their doctrine to commit genocide.
It is obvious that some of the commentators here are your typical social justice warrior/victim class people. They (Drew, Leo, Zach) are only here commenting their garbage to virtue signal their fellow morons. My advice to you three is to #Walkaway before you can’t find your way back.
Great piece Mr. Garland!
Justin Kasieta • Oct 21, 2018 at 5:14 pm
Great job on this Riley! Glad someone knows their facts.
Zach F. • Oct 18, 2018 at 2:51 pm
Unbelievable that the North Wind would run such a piece of garbage. Just because you can write well doesn’t mean your opinion is worth sharing. You are propagating white supremacism, plain and simple. Pure trash.
Leo Siren • Oct 17, 2018 at 4:55 pm
What a troubling piece. Being able to eloquently rationalize genocide and slavery doesn’t make you smarter or more measured than the people you’re condescending to in this piece; it merely makes you an eloquent and rational advocate of genocide and slavery. You fail to explain why a celebration of this man is a necessary component in studying, understanding, or accepting his role in history. Yes, genocide and slavery were more “normal” back then, in certain cultures both white and non-white. That is a revelation to absolutely no one. Here’s another obvious fact, but one you fail to include in your analysis: it’s 600 years later and we should all know better than to celebrate it now.
Drew Boggemes • Oct 16, 2018 at 9:46 pm
This is grotesque. Pure white supremacist rhetoric. The next time you want to use history to substantiate your argument, look beyond elementary school pop-up books.