Columbus Day absolutely should be celebrated and has been for many years, until the woke mob started to attack it in their effort to erase American history. The push to erase Columbus Day may seem isolated, but it’s part of a wider cultural trend where historical figures are judged entirely by modern moral standards of our culture.
If that standard is applied consistently throughout history, it won’t stop at Columbus. It cannot be allowed, because the cancellation of Christopher Columbus only will lead to an elimination of all history by the modern left. In this article, we examine the conservative argument in favor of celebrating Columbus Day in spite of the vicious attacks on it.
In This Argument…
- Christopher Columbus should be recognized for his achievements and Christopher Columbus Day should be celebrated.
- If the modern left applies their moral standard to every historical figure, they would need to erase the recognition of every historical figure, except Jesus Christ, because everyone has committed sin.
- We can still celebrate achievements while still acknowledging the horrible cruelties committed by Columbus and his crew.
- Some figures have tainted everything they accomplished through the immoral systems which created those achievements. In cases like this, the evil overshadows everything else and the figure should not be celebrated.
Table of Contents
Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer from Genoa, Italy, who laid the foundations for shaping the West. Without him, who knows where America would be and even if it would exist.
Who Is Christopher Columbus – Setting the Record Straight
On a mission to look for a faster route to India, Christopher Columbus set sail across the Atlantic in 1492. As they traveled West, Columbus and his crew spotted a distant light that was too far to be a fire. A few hours later, they found shore, landing in what we now know as the Bahamas. He named the island “San Salvador” after Jesus Christ, which means “Holy Savior,” as Columbus was a devout Catholic.
On land Columbus encountered the Taíno tribe, a subgroup of the Arawakan people, and peacefully exchanged goods with them and initially wrote that Spaniards should treat the natives kindly. Within a decade, however, Columbus’s rule imposed forced tribute and led to the enslavement of hundreds of Taíno. Apparently, his governance was so brutal that the Spanish Crown had him arrested in 1,500 after widespread reports of abuse. Columbus admitted to some of the charges brought up against him and was permanently removed as governor. The Taíno natives were reportedly peaceful but warned Columbus and his crew about a non-peaceful tribe which also shared the island, the Caribs.
This is not to exalt or put down Columbus or the Native American tribes, as there were many sins committed by both. Instead, it’s to set the historical record straight and transition into the argument for Columbus Day.
Today, we celebrate Columbus Day to recognize the incredible accomplishment of voyaging from Europe to the Americas by an Italian explorer. Columbus Day began as a goodwill gesture after the 1892 New Orleans lynching of Italian immigrants. It was a way to push back against discrimination and find cultural pride in a time when Italian immigrants were seen as outsiders in America. In 1934, Congress authorized President Roosevelt to issue an annual October 12 proclamation, and the holiday finally gained full federal holiday status under the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which became effective in 1971.
Why You Should Celebrate Columbus Day
The attack on Christopher Columbus by the woke left has been vicious, and at first look it may even seemed justified. The left claims that Columbus forced the natives into slavery, execution, and rape, brought disease, and was a criminal explorer. They also claim he was not the first settler to come to the Americas, and often quote his journal where it says things like “They would make fine servants, with 50 men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want.” And recently in many areas, Columbus Day has been renamed to “Indigenous People’s Day,” to celebrate Native American heritage.
All of this sounds brutal, and it is, which is why many have fallen for the lie that they should stop celebrating Columbus Day. But is any of this true?
Yes and no, but let’s go even further and say that it doesn’t matter that much to the argument if any of this is true. Here’s the conservative argument in favor of the celebration of Columbus Day:
- Columbus was an incredible explorer who navigated uncharted waters even while facing many problems with his own crew at sea, eventually connecting Europe to the Americas in a way that reshaped world history.
- We can still celebrate achievements while still acknowledging the horrible cruelties committed by Columbus and his crew.
- There’s a difference between figures whose legacy includes serious moral failings and those whose primary legacy is one of mass destruction. If the harm they committed was part of a system that existed despite their accomplishments, we can acknowledge both. But if their accomplishments were only possible through that system of evil, then they are not worthy of celebration.
The question we need to ask is, “by what standard will the future judge us by?” This is so important because the cultural standards of that time were far different than them of today. Is it fair to judge the past by the same moral standards we as a culture judge ourselves by? Would it be fair for civilization 500 years from now to judge us based on their culture’s moral standards?
If the answer is yes, then we must apply that standard evenly. If we’re saying that the brutality and violence of historical figures entirely negates the good they did and the things they achieved (like Christopher Columbus), then we have to condemn everyone except Jesus Christ. Because what man has committed no sin? This speaks to the heart of cancel culture. Jesus Christ offers forgiveness for sins, cancel culture doesn’t.
Furthermore, if we can’t celebrate Columbus day because of his brutality and violence, then how can we celebrate Indigenous People’s Day with the fact that they were also brutal and violent? As stated above, the Taíno natives were reportedly peaceful but warned Columbus and his crew about a non-peaceful tribe which also shared the island, the Caribs. Tribes conquered tribes, often violently and with enslavement of captives. Should we not celebrate Indigenous People’s Day because they were also violent?
Again another example: If we can’t celebrate Columbus because of his moral failings (according to our culture), should we also erase Thomas Jefferson? The man who declared “all men are created equal” in the Declaration of Independence, all while owning slaves?
Let’s take it even further with another example: If we can’t celebrate Columbus because of his moral failings (again according to our culture), should we also erase Winston Churchill? The man who led Britain through WWII and helped defeat Nazi Germany, but also made racist and imperialist remarks, and is criticized for his role in the Bengal Famine?
Again let’s give another example: What about Mother Teresa? You’re probably thinking, “what could Mother Teresa have possibly done wrong!? She’s a Saint!” Well, Mother Teresa has been criticized for poor medical conditions in her clinics, accepting donations from corrupt figures, and apparently very little of the money she raised went toward improving the quality of care in her clinics. Should we celebrate her achievements?
Now we cannot take everyone by this standard, as some historical figures have tainted their achievements by the evil system that they created, which created these achievements. Figures like Hitler should not be celebrated, even if he had a historical achievement, because the achievement cannot be separated from the evil system that created them.
Now, not all achievements deserve a celebration, as some historical figures, like Hitler, have tainted everything they accomplished through the evil systems which created those achievements. Even if he made national accomplishments, his achievements cannot be separated from the regime of hatred, war, and genocide it served. In cases like this, the evil overshadows everything else.
In short, we must celebrate by achievement and those who advocate for a moral good, because if we focus on sin, there is no one left. We can acknowledge sin and attempt to do better, but we should also recognize achievement. That’s why people like Mother Teresa are revered, and she should be! God offers forgiveness for sins and no man is without sin.
The Bottom Line:
- Aside from all of his failures, Christopher Columbus should be recognized for his achievements and Christopher Columbus Day should be celebrated.
- If the modern left applies their moral standard to every historical figure, they would need to erase the recognition of every historical figure, except Jesus Christ, because everyone has committed sin.
- We can still celebrate achievements while still acknowledging the horrible cruelties committed by Columbus and his crew.
- Some figures have tainted everything they accomplished through the immoral systems which created those achievements. In cases like this, the evil overshadows everything else and the figure should not be celebrated.
Columbus’s journey changed the world, and that alone makes it worthy of recognition. Like all flawed men of history, he should be remembered with honesty, not erased. Celebrating Columbus Day isn’t celebrating cruelty of the natives, it’s recognizing the courage and boldness that helped shape the West and the entire modern world.