Columbus Day Should Not be Celebrated.

I'm going to organize today's debate into three main points. 1. Columbus's Discovery My opponent claims: "Simple, Columbus didn't discover jack. The Americas had already been flourishing with civilizations thus were in fact inhabited, making the "discovery" a bit of an overstatement." The reason it's called a "discovery" is because the rest of the world didn't know that the Americas were flourishing with civilizations. Thus, for them, it was a huge discovery. The very creation of modern nations in the Americas is a product of trade and travel between Europe and the Americas, which became possible only after Columbus's "discovery", accidental or not. Simply because it was an accident does not mean it shouldn't be celebrated. So far, it's evident that Columbus's discovery, accidental or not, deserves celebration. 2. Genocide In addressing my opponent's claims about genocide; as I've proven above, it's a tragedy that such things happened, but Columbus Day doesn't celebrate genocide. Think of Manifest Destiny, a perfect example of how American celebrate what could be a controversial idea (westward expansion at the cost of Native American lives) with good intent. We aren't celebrating their deaths, but rather the triumph of a nation to span an entire continent. Likewise, Columbus Day celebrates the discovery of the new world, not the exploitation of it. Even by definition, "a day, October 12, observed as a holiday in various states of theU.S. in honor of the discovery of the New World by Columbus and his landing in the West Indies on October 12, 1492", [1] Columbus Day merely marks his landing in the New World, not the actions that ensued. Which brings us to the biggest point in today's round... 3. Malicious Intent So far, all my opponent has said regarding intent is that since... "both Columbus and his achievement sincerely do not deserve really any sense of honoring in the first place, intent is unjustified." First of all, his achievement does deserve honoring; as I have proven, even thought it may have been accidental, it was a huge discovery for Europeans, and perhaps one of the greatest in history. And secondly, whether or not Columbus's achievement deserves honoring is completely unrelated to whether or not we celebrate it with malicious intent. My opponent must prove that when we celebrate on Columbus Day, we're celebrating the deaths of Native Americans. It sounds like a ridiculous BOP because it is; my opponent has made the claim and now must prove it. Next, My opponent states: "I fail to see how the deaths of genocidal imperialism compare to the casualties of the Revolutionary War." In Round 1, I presented two analogies; the first compared Columbus Day to Independence Day. The point being made was that both days commemorate an event in the past which could be misinterpreted. Much like how it would be unreasonable for the British to think we are celebrating the death of British soldiers when we celebrate Independence day, it is just as unrealistic to assume that we celebrate the deaths of Native on Columbus Day. My second analogy my opponent didn't address. I related Columbus Day to the deeply rooted American principle of Manifest Destiny, or westward expansion. Manifest Destiny is celebrated to this day, taught in textbooks, and has it's own line in the national anthem: "from sea to shining sea". And I'm sure we all haven't forgotten how Americans all but wiped out Native Americans as we moved West. For example, the Trail of Tears in 1831 - 1839, when Cherokee's were marched out of their homeland, which resulted in thousands of deaths by exposure; a true genocide [2]. Is my opponent claiming that by continuing to praise Manifest Destiny as an American ideal and by keeping "sea to shining sea" in our national anthem, that we are celebrating the deaths of Native Americans? Inconveniently for him; we aren't. And just like how the line "sea to shining sea" does not celebrate the killing of Natives, neither does Columbus Day. The Pro's BOP has not been met. ---- Recalling the PRO's Burden of Proof: My opponent again must prove malicious intent in celebrating Columbus Day. Even if a hundred genocides occured, if he cannot prove harmful intent in celebrating the holiday, then he cannot win the round. The BOP of the Pro has not yet been met. The resolution has been negated. [1] http://dictionary.reference.com... [2] http://www.cherokeebyblood.com...