Today is Columbus Day! Or is it Indigenous Peoples’ Day?
Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog!
Have you touched base with the teen in your life yet?
As I was running errands over the weekend, I saw a sign like this one.
So, what is Columbus Day?
History of Columbus Day
According to history.com, in the late 1400s, the route from Europe to Asia by land was long and filled with hostile armies. Portuguese explorers figured out how to do it by sea instead. They sailed around the West African Coast and around the Cape of Good Hope.
Christopher Columbus had a different idea. Why not sail west across the Atlantic Ocean?
His idea was good, but his calculations were flawed. He believed that the circumference of the Earth was much smaller than it was and sailing west would be a quicker way to get to Asia. There were no accurate maps available at the time. So, there was no way to know for sure.
Columbus had a hard time selling this idea and obtain funding for his trip. Then he finally convinced Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile to support him. On August 3, 1492, Columbus and his crew set sail from Spain in three ships, the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria. On October 12th, the ships made landfall not in the East Indies, but on one of the Bahamian Islands.
The four voyages of Columbus to the New World
This was how Columbus discovered America in 1492. If you would like to read more about his life, here’s a link to history.com Christopher Columbus.
Timeline of being recognized as a national holiday then a federal one
In 1892, to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Columbus discovering America, President Benjamin Harrison declared Columbus Day as a one-time national celebration.
In 1934, Franklin Roosevelt made a proclamation to recognize Columbus Day as a national holiday. This would allow for appropriate ceremonies expressing the public feelings towards the anniversary of the discovery of America.
In 1966, Mariano Lucca, pushed to have Columbus Day made into a federal holiday which it became in 1968. Since it is a federal holiday, all federal employees celebrate the day as a paid day off.
Every year, it is celebrated on the second Monday in October, which this year happens to be October 12th, the day Columbus actually landed in the New World, 528 years ago today.
What have we learned about Columbus?
Columbus sailed across the Atlantic not only to have the fame in finding new lands, but also to capture riches to bring back to Spain for him and the sponsors of his expedition. While he was in the new world, he started to enslave the native people, Taino. He believed they were made to be enslaved, due to their body build and peaceful nature.
When the riches he promised were not coming to fruition, he started sending the Taino people back to Spain on return voyages to serve and be sold as slaves for his sponsors. Isabella was uphauled at the gesture. She believed people who were found through the expeditions should become Spanish citizens and not be enslaved. The Taino were sent back. Columbus was arrested and brought back to Spain in chains.
Change to Indigenous Peoples’ Day
When people learned a little more about Columbus and how he had treated the Taino people, many stopped celebrating Columbus Day. The holiday has changed its name in many states to Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The theme of the day is to honor Native American people, their histories and cultures.
Shawn’s Way
The second book in the Way Series, Shawn’s Way, will be released next month.
Just like the first book, The Hard Way, it is also a coming of age novel focusing on a teen challenge. Where The Hard Way focused on peer pressure, Shawn’s Way, focuses on a teen being a target of a bully and an older teen being the one who bullies. Be sure to keep checking back to my website for updates on the release date.
You still have time to pick up a copy of The Hard Way for another good teen read and get up to speed for what happens in book two.
Have a great week!
#ChristopherColumbus #historicalpeople #history #NewWorld #Spain #historycom #IndigenousPeoplesDay #ColumbusDay #ShawnsWay #FederalHoliday #NationalHoliday