Before I read Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States", I already knew that Christopher Columbus was not a great man. But while I read, I finally found out details of what made him so bad.
I hate that we have a Christopher Columbus Day. I decided that after the second page. How can we teach our children to idolize a man who did so much harm? He killed thousands of people. I almost give him the sole responsibility for wiping out an entire tribe. Yet children in school's think of him as a great explorer. But what can we tell them? That the man credited with discovering America was a murderer?
I compare Columbus to Hitler. Both can have the title of great leaders. They were able to get people to do exactly what they wanted. The trouble is their intentions and outcomes were not ethical. Then again, I'm not sure people in the 15th century were too worried about ethics.
When exactly did Columbus become an idol? Who decided to dedicate a day too him and did the people who wrote children's books about him, ever actually research him?
Though it has been 600 years since the white man came to America, I still feel ashamed about how we took control of this country. The world has always had wars. War is responsible for where people are today. Maybe one day we will find a way to stop takinng land by force. We found a way to realize slavery was bad, so maybe there is hope.
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