I have a history paper due and its about if columbus day should be celebrated!? i said no but it sounds more like a bio than paper!! I NEED HELPWww@QuestionHome@Com
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Position:Home>History> I need help in history about cc?Question: I need help in history about cc!? I have a history paper due and its about if columbus day should be celebrated!? i said no but it sounds more like a bio than paper!! I NEED HELPWww@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: In A People's History of the United States, American historian Howard Zinn discusses the cruelty Columbus inflicted upon Native Americans, which Zinn says was comparable to the genocidal acts of World War II!. Zinn maintains Columbus was a religious fanatic with an obsession of eliminating non-Christians, by means of murder, conversion, or at the very least, enslavement!. He claims that Columbus was in search of personal wealth and fame, and was willing to step over others or even kill them to achieve it, and that Columbus may have used more force than he admitted to his superiors!. However, some assume that Columbus' subordinates were more responsible for the vast majority of the carnage carried out!. Columbus himself claimed that he warned his men against taking advantage of the natives, as he had planned to eventually convert them to Christianity!. A Spanish priest who traveled to Hispaniola wrote that he was appalled to witness dehumanizing acts of cruelty being inflicted on the Indians, such as torture used to subjugate their leaders!.[citation needed] Many of the natives ended up dying from starvation, disease, or simply being overworked!. Opposition to the holiday cites this cruelty committed by those under Columbus' leadership and that of many of the following European colonists!. Columbus directly brought about the demise of many Taino (Arawak) Indians on the island of Hispaniola,[citation needed] and the arrival of the Europeans indirectly caused the decline in population of many indigenous peoples by introducing diseases previously unknown in the New World!. An estimated 85% of the Native American population was wiped out within 150 years of Columbus' arrival in America, due largely to diseases such as smallpox that spread among Native populations!.[citation needed] Additionally, ensuing war and the appropriation of land and material wealth by European colonists also contributed to the decline of the indigenous populations in the Americas!.[11] In the summer of 1990, 350 Native Americans, representatives from all over the hemisphere, met in Quito, Ecuador, at the first Intercontinental Gathering of Indigenous People in the Americas, to mobilize against the quincentennial celebration of Columbus Day!. The following summer, in Davis, California, more than a hundred Native Americans gathered for a follow-up meeting to the Quito conference!. They declared October 12, 1992, International Day of Solidarity with Indigenous People!. The largest ecumenical body in the United States, the National Council of Churches, called on Christians to refrain from celebrating the Columbus quincentennial, saying, "What represented newness of freedom, hope, and opportunity for some was the occasion for oppression, degradation and genocide for others!."[12] Michael Berliner, of the Ayn Rand Institute, has defended celebration of Columbus Day, hailing the European conquest of North America and describing the indigenous culture as “a way of life dominated by fatalism, passivity, and magic!.”[13] Western civilization, Berliner claimed, brought “reason, science, self-reliance, individualism, ambition, and productive achievement” to a people who were based in “primitivism, mysticism, and collectivism”, and to a land that was “sparsely inhabited, unused, and underdeveloped!.Www@QuestionHome@Com well first columbus did not "discover" america!. as there were already people here!. http://en!.wiktionary!.org/wiki/discover look at #2 for the correct definition of the word!. A 6th Century Irish monk by the name of Saint Berndan is thought to be the first person to locate the North American continate please see http://en!.wikipedia!.org/wiki/Saint_Brend!.!.!. In the 10th centry came the Viking Leif Erickson (son of Eric the Red) at aprox 1000 A!.D!. Most scholers belive that the documetaion of his travles to Newfoundland (Canada) to be correct and acurate in their accounts!. The day of October the 9th is Leif Erickson dayhttp://en!.wikipedia!.org/wiki/Leif_Ericso!.!.!. 15th century a Chinese explorer was thought to have arrived in 1421 his name is Zheng He this was 71 years before Columbus http://www!.npr!.org/templates/story/story!.!.!. and http://en!.wikipedia!.org/wiki/Zheng_He now why does columbus get the credit!? He opened up America to Europe, which was the expansionist power at the time!. He was the one who made it possible for them to conquer the Western Hemisphere — and to bring with them the diseases that apparently wiped out 90 percent of the population!. He wasn't the first (and neither were the Vikings) — that is a very Euro-centric view!. There were millions of people here already, and so their ancestors must have been the firstWww@QuestionHome@Com Technically, he shouldn't be celebrated for finding "India!." But if you look at history and see how the world changed based on his discovery of the Americas, you'd be suprised at how much impact his one "mistake" had!. I think, as an American, you should say YES because: -- His discovery led to MANY exploration voyages from several countries (including more from Spain, some from France, and some from Great Britain, along with other small nations)!. -- Then, talk about how these explorations led to America as we know it today!. You can include things like how the Spanish conquistadors ravaged Central & South America for gold, how the English set up base on the eastern coast of North America and how the colonies eventually led to America, you can talk about how Columbus's discovery led to interaction with Native Americans and how trade with them changed Europe (economically and agriculturally - LOTS of gold, and precious metals as well as new vegetables like potatoes, tomatoes, etc!.) I'm sure you can come up with a TON of reasons for how Columbus's discovery changed the world as we know it - and don't be afraid to clarify that this so-called discovery was actually an very lucky accident!. Hope that helps (;Www@QuestionHome@Com Write about how Columbus Day is for celebrating Columbus' "discovery" of North America and what his "discovery" meant in reality for the Europeans and the Native Americans!. (He wasn't really the first to discover it, he was a total idiot who thought that he had landed in India, he decimated the Indian population of the island of Hispianola, and enslaved the indigenous peoples he encountered!. Really, he was just lucky to have discovered the continent at a time when European powers could afford to attempt colonization and the search for gold!.)Www@QuestionHome@Com include something about the economy on that time and how large portions of businesses made profit on slave trades!. also include who funded the expeditions of CC and who would ultimately profit from it should he be successful!. hope that helps, good luck!Www@QuestionHome@Com Read this page for ideas - http://www!.history!.com/minisite!.do!?conte!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com If you say no, then talk about how Columbus didn't really discover America!. One, he thought that he arrived in India and two, the Vikings came to America way before Columbus did!. Www@QuestionHome@Com ok so talk about in one paragraph who columbus was, the next 2 or 3 talking about why you think the day shouldn't be celebrated!.Www@QuestionHome@Com |