Much controversy has sprung about the justification of Columbus Day in the United States. People have begun celebrating Indigenous Day as a response to the cruel background of Columbus Day.
Columbus Day has been celebrated tracing back until 1792 as it marked the 300 anniversary of the day Columbus set out on his voyage to find India but found America instead. Columbus Day became a federal holiday in 1937, and it is celebrated the second Monday of each October.
Indigenous People’s Day is not a federal holiday, but it is still commonly recognized since the idea was first proposed in 1977.
Although this land had never been discovered by Europe, there had already been people settled on the land way before any white settlers came. These people were the Native Americans or the indigenous tribes that had already made civilizations that required a great amount of advancement and intelligence.
Alma Mallis (11) shares, “It’s very sad to see that Native Americans were never recognized for their advancements and lifestyle by colonizers. I think it is very important that we learn about this history in school to acknowledge the hardships Indigenous people had to endure.”
Despite indigenous tribes’ lifestyle and knowledge, white European settlers viewed them as barbaric and uneducated. The mistreatment of Indigenous people is an extremely important topic till modern day.
When the colonizers came to America, they brought numerous diseases, which the Indigenous were not immune to because of their lack of exposure to it. As a result, a drastic amount of the Indigenous tribe died and a smaller percentage of them survived.
Abby Lee (11) says, “I personally do not celebrate Columbus Day or know anyone who does. I think we should focus more on Indigenous People’s Day so that we can still help the tribes that exist today.”
The indigenous people who survived still did not escape the unjustified treatment to them. Colonizers that arrived because of Columbus’ discovery continued to steal the land of the indigenous and wanted to change their lifestyle in order to educate them.
Indigenous people were stripped of their human rights during this time and faced major repercussions of colonization up until modern times. Modernly, the population of indigenous people in the United States is significantly smaller than other ethnic groups due to their cruel treatment and torment of the past.
Although Columbus helped America become what it is today by bringing a number of migrants, it is also crucial to appreciate and support the Indigenous people that suffered greatly from this.
