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Why Do We Celebrate Columbus Day?
Something I have always wondered, something that I have never quite understood is why we celebrate Columbus day. All I had known about until just a few years ago was that Christopher Columbus accidentally “discovered” America, and we get off of school sometimes for that reason. Until I learned in social studies that thousands of people already lived in that area that Columbus had “discovered”, that explanation was good enough for me. Columbus simply proving the existence of the place to the rest of the world impresses me a little less. To make it even worse, it turns out that he only found part of America, and several other explorers helped find the rest. So why celebrate Columbus specifically? Could it be because he wiped almost the entire native population on the east coast? Surely not. That is why I propose that we reconsider the name Columbus Day. Perhaps we could celebrate something more specific like Columbus “Discovering” America day. That sure does roll of the tongue so much better.
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