Columbus Day in the United States of America

As per the debate format, I will expand on my four points for why Columbus Day should be recognized. 1) The discovery of the new continent brought about a huge economic boost for European nations, as well as introducing new agriculture. The Columbian Exchange is the term used to describe the movement of native products from the old to the new world, and vice versa. The exchange introduced several new plants and food for each of the respective worlds. The exchange brought monumental changes in culture for Europe, Africa and America. The exchange brought tomatoes to Italy, rubber trees to Africa, potatoes to Ireland, coffee to Columbia, and cattle to Texas. Other products like chocolate draw their lineage back to the exchange, as well. Obviously, there was also the later discovery of gold in South America, which propelled the Spanish Empire into being one of the major European powers of its day. Other European empires, seeing the potential for such growth, swarmed on the Americas and the West Indies, providing significant economic stimulation. Columbus' discovery can also be credited with the birth of international mass capitalism. With such a huge supply of new products and economic opportunity, a primitive and mercantile form of capitalism became significant part of international trade. Such an example was triangle trade, in which goods moved from the Americas to Europe to Africa and eventually back to the Americas. The discovery Columbus made had an impact larger than just the Americas; it created an economic tsunami that shook the world (metaphorically speaking of course) 2) Columbus's discovery sparked interest in further North American exploration, and also led to the beginning of colonization in the Americas. The voyages of Columbus sparked other famed explorers to go to the New World. Conquistadors such as Cortes and Pizarro followed after Columbus and helped to establish a vast New World empire for Spain that stretched from the western portion of the United States all the way to the southern tip of Argentina. Other explorers followed suit, including key people such as Ponce de Leon, and John Cabot. Upon Columbus' discovery, there came a mad dash to establish large, and economically profitable empires. Also, the discovery brought about the avenue for other nations to occupy the free land, including England, which would eventually be the land which would be the foundation for the United States. This fact is sufficient to warrant the celebration of his voyage. His voyage set of a chain reaction that is key to the creation of the United States. 3) The negative actions by Columbus do not detract from the historic significance of his voyage. This is more of a talking point, but regardless, there is no reason that the crimes of Columbus take away from the world changing effect of his voyage. To say that the discovery of Columbus was any less important because of the fact that he engaged in the slave trade and was a brute to the natives is unreasonable. It does make Columbus himself seem less reputable as a man, but his voyage is nonetheless monumental. There is a clear connection between the discovery of the continents', the establishment of European colonies, and the founding of America. This fact warrants the United States observing the world changing voyage, considering that it was such a pivotal moment in America's history. It is also logical to name the holiday after the man who actually discovered in the first place. 4) The day celebrates the discovery, not the man. Columbus Day celebrates the voyage of Columbus, not what he did. Now, I cannot refute the fact that as a conqueror, Columbus was guilty of several inhumane actions. However, as I have said, the voyage is the key and it is still important. Simply googling the definition of Columbus Day will prove my point (the bottom 4 sources are the first few results of doing this) and they all echo the same concept: The day celebrates the anniversary of Columbus' voyage, not Columbus' character. Its is not the same as how some states recognize Lincoln's birthday. In this case, the man as a whole is being recognized. Columbus day is meant to recognize the voyage. It only bears his name, since he was the one to discover it (and saying The Day an Italian Man Set Foot on Cuba Day isn't as compact) Christopher Columbus' voyage was a key moment in the process of our nation's beginnings, and the magnitude of the voyage is very much worthy of a federal holiday. His voyage changed the world, and in doing so paved the way for European empires to colonize the Americas, which would lead to the founding of the United States. While Columbus was a terrible governor and an inhumane brute, his discovery was unquestionably important. To ed this holiday would be removing a holiday which represents a very significant step in the history of the United States, for no legitimate reason, as I proved above, and as I intend to prove in the following rounds. Thank you for your arguments, and I greatly anticipate your rebuttal. http://en.wikipedia.org... http://www.frontiernet.net... http://en.wikipedia.org... http://en.wikipedia.org... http://americanhistory.about.com... http://dictionary.reference.com...