The New era. [volume] ([Portsmouth, Va.]) 1845-1847, 1846-01-22
A NAME FOR OUR COUNTRY

A NAME FOR OUR COUNTRY
We approved the late attempt of the New w.,
Historical Society-or rather, of some of its ms"'
bers-to procure the adoption of some distinr,;'u
ing name for this Country, to take the Mac "c
the cumbrous and indefinite term United S,,,o.',,
We need National name. Even United S,a,..
of North America is not distinctive, since No;
co has an equal right to that appella,ion. W.
hope IN time TO see independent United STATE,
OF Canada West and East, New Brunswick
Nova Scotia. &c. and we hare hoped to see A.
other United States Of California, Oregon. a.
IL does seem to us most desirable on many 40
counts that our Country should he known at boma
and abroad by some appellation as Distinctive a.
canada or MexicO-a title not founded on tn
structure Of our Government, which is not nn,.
peculiar, and we trust is to become less and loo.
So We believe the good sense Of the Countru
VIII readily agree with US herein, and that th
general opposition encountered in tine former in
stance was provoked by the name Alleghani,
so unfamiliar 10 most and SO objectionable r.
others as contemplating (apparently) a nation CON
hned to the Atlantic border of our Continent.
We propose that our Country shall take to ber
self the name of COLUMBIA, in honor Of the prs,,
Discover OF ihis Continent, whose name it should
have borne but who has been defIaaded of his ,us,
due by the ignorance of his cotemporaries and the
Incidence OF succeeding generations. A sadden-
Ing history is that of the life and death of Col.
umbus. and ihe mourDfuless feature Of his rnoo,d
fortune, Is the Injustice which has been peype,ated
in our own day by calling this Continent Ame,c.
That injustice it is too late TO remedy, withou,
causing immense peIplexity and uoable to all
coming generations; indeed, it could hardly be
remeded al all. But let some recompense be rem
dered TO the great beneiactor of mankind by giving
his name 10 the earliest, the nobest and the must
llustrious Of the Nations which have sprung into
existence on the soil which he rescued from count,
less ages of revolving barbarsm and presented TO
the civilized world. Tardy as would be this res
ttutlon to the victim of three centuries and half
OF lnexcabie wrongs, it would reflect honor on our
People and prove that Reputation is not rsdi.
cal and permanent trait OF our National character.
he obstacle which at one time existed in
the Republic Of Colombia, South America, has
been removed by the severance of that Republic
INTO three distinct nations one of them bearing
tho name under which they were united nor any
thing like it. Let Ms hasten to repair the njus-
tlce OF the Past before the appropriation of this
name oy some second rate power shall deprive US
OF the opportunity for ever. Let Us each feel
personal interest in doing such Justice as we NAV
TO the memory of Christopher Columbus.
We trust Congress will not separate with
out acting deeisively in the premises 1t is not
every day opportunities afforded Of doing an
act SO generous and honorable at 80 trifiing cost
Two days might settle it completely. The
District OF Columbia would then be more peril
nently named than hitherto, and our country have
distinctive, appropriate, poeteai name among
the Nations of the Earth
Will not our contemporaries see fit TO EXPRESS
some opinion this subject2
: Leaving out some slight illusions of gall in
the above, and the approval of the savans who
some time since made themselves ridiculous in
E.~l IL
hndlng name for our country, we heartily ac-
cord with the Tribune in the opinion that our
nation should have distinction and generic ap-
pellatlon, and we like, therefore, that it should be
called COLUMBIA, as suggested by that paper,
Columbia, therefore, let it be.-.Neo Era.1