What was your previous understanding of Christopher Columbus
Did you know Martin Luther King Jr. and Christopher Columbus are the only two non-presidential individuals to have a federal holiday named after them? Let that factoid sink in for a minute—Martin Luther King Jr– a Southern preacher and an iconic civil rights hero who protested against segregation and racism through nonviolence and the other individual is Christopher Columbus who is either celebrated as a heroic modern navigator who defied all odds and \”discovered\” the Americas or a greedy murderous pirate who spread colonialism and genocide. Because of the latter, Columbus Day as a celebration has come under fire in the last couple of decades because many people especially historians started to separate the man from the myth and held him responsible for spreading violence, racism, and ultimately genocide. Many communities and more than 27 states across America have eliminated Columbus Day as a holiday altogether and replaced the day with “Indigenous Day” as a way to bring awareness to Native Americans. However, some states and people continue to celebrate Christopher Columbus and question whether taking away their right to celebrate the man will lead to any effective and positive changes. So where do you stand on this topic of Columbus Day?
[REVIEW PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCES] After completing reading chapter 2 \”Early Globalization: The Atlantic World 1492-1650,\” you will proceed to read and review the following primary and secondary resources on the topic of Columbus Day.
Primary Source #1:
http://www.americanyawp.com/reader/the-new-world/j…
Secondary Source #2:
https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/commentary/…
Secondary Source #3: attached
Secondary Source #4: attached
Now that you have reviewed the readings and sources, what are your thoughts on Columbus Day? To complete this assignment, you will participate in this online class discussion on the topic of Columbus Day by posting a Topic Reply (minimum of 600 words) that answers all of the following critical thinking questions:
What was your previous understanding of Christopher Columbus? Did you ever participate in a celebration of Columbus Day?
Based on the sources, what were Columbus\’s true motives for sailing west of the Atlantic?
Based on the sources, what were his intentions with the Native Americans?
What are the reasons why some states continue to celebrate Columbus Day? What are the reasons why many states have abolished it?
Do you think America should abolish Columbus Day? Explain your position
Will abolishing Columbus Day help Native Americans to address and solve the issues within their communities?
Please organize your answers to the questions above in an organized short essay format (minimum of 600 words) and post your topic reply to the discussion forum by clicking the [reply] button below.
Citation Rules:
You do not need to provide a work cited list or a full citation of the sources in your post. This assignment does not require you to do any outside research so please reframe from using other sources beyond the assigned readings. A simple in-text reference of the assigned reading # is sufficient (i.e. Source #1).
Requirements: minimum 600 words
https://openstax.org/books/us-history/pages/2-intr…
Answer preview to what was your previous understanding of Christopher Columbus
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