Does Christopher Columbus deserve a holiday?
Today is Columbus Day, a federal holiday commemorating Christopher Columbus, the Italian explorer who famously landed on American soil in the Bahamas on October 12, 1492, after spending over two months sailing from Spain. His voyage across the Atlantic prompted many other explorers to follow suit, eventually opening the doors to settlement and trade between North America and the rest of the world. Many people disagree, however, with applying the word “discovered” to Columbus’s landing in America, and others criticize him for his cruelty toward Native Americans, and insist that he doesn’t deserve a holiday. Kenneth Davis, the author of “Don’t Know Much About History: Everything You Need to Know About American History But Never Learned,” discusses the true legacy of Columbus.
Every day, reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you. We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
Make a gift today, and you’ll help us unlock a matching gift of $67,000!