Introduction.
Columbus Day celebration is an affront to the Native Americans as this is inconsiderate of what transpired after Columbus arrived in the country. The continued explorations and colonization’s of these individuals is a primary oversight for the native people. Parallel celebrations by cities that recognize the Native Americans have been instrumental in ensuring that the importance and periods of colonization that the individuals were subjected to be not overlooked (More Cities Are Recognizing Native Americans on Columbus Day 1). Native Americans need to be honored and remembered for the acts to which they were subjected to due to the arrival of Christopher Columbus and his crew.
Body.
Reasons as to why this is considered to be a significant oversight include the facts that Christopher and his crew committed unethical and barbaric acts towards the natives. This was not considerate of the rights of the citizens. The immoral acts perpetrated against these individuals include torture, cases of stealing of items, exploitation of the indigenous people and the infliction of disease and massacres (D'Souza 5). His heinous acts were inconsiderate of his discoveries. Slavery was among the worst acts to be committed by Columbus as he sent back Indians to Spain to please the Queen. Columbus may be the individual that sent most Indians to slavery as they numbered in their thousands. The celebrations, therefore, are not considerate of such facts.
Among other crimes that indicate inconsideration of the acts of Columbus include greed as he was looking for gold. Columbus and his crew, after the second voyage, made unreasonable demands on Indians that was inclusive of sexual advancements and the chopping off of ears and nose to those that did not abide by their laws. Cruelty was also an act that was extensively committed by Columbus as this required the use of Indians to assist in their exploitative work in the getting of resources to help with the completion of certain tasks. The system that was used was the tribute system that was very harsh and inconsiderate. Indians were required to pay gold tributes and pounds of cotton to Columbus every three months based on the ages of the Sovereigns. Furthermore, they were required to put on tokens as proof that they had paid what was due. The systems were very inconsiderate and cruel but were later to be replaced by the plantation system.
Genocide was rampant during the days of Columbus as there was massive loss of lives that led to the sharp decline in the population of the residents. During the second and third voyage, the approximate population of the Indians was estimated at around 3 million though this drastically dropped to less than 100,000 after 20 years in the Hispaniola region. This drastic fall in the population was as related to the impact of Christopher Columbus.
Conclusion.
As indicated in the article Christopher Columbus remains an icon through the celebration of his life and the remembrance of Italians. However, the downside of this is that there are atrocities committed by Columbus, and this is inconsiderate of the problems faced by the Indigenous people. The celebration is honored for the wrong reasons. I am of the opinion that wrongdoings of Christopher should not warrant a national celebration as this is disrespectful.
Works Cited.
"More Cities Are Recognizing Native Americans On Columbus Day". USA TODAY. N.p., 2016. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.
D'Souza, Dinesh. "The “Crimes” of Christopher Columbus." OA (http://www. firstthings. com/ftissues/ft9511/dsouza. html) (1995).
