"In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue... "
In fourteen hundred ninety twoColumbus sailed the ocean blue.
He had three ships and left from Spain;He sailed through sunshine, wind and rain.
He sailed by night; he sailed by day;He used the stars to find his way.
A compass also helped him know How to find the way to go.
Ninety sailors were on board;Some men worked while others snored.
As children we were taught to memorize this with pride. This was the year that we were taught was an important part of our history (which it was) but to me it seemed like that was the year North America was discovered when in fact people had been living here for hundreds of years before that. Am I having my daughter memorize this? Yes, I am. I think it is important but I also want her to learn that Columbus wasn't the man we are led to believe in public school. In fourteen hundred ninety-two
Christopher Columbus, a mapmaker, had an idea which resulted in historical journey intended to find an international trade route between Europe and Asia. Off he sailed with his three ships, which are known to us as the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria and got lost. History professor William Fowler of Northeastern University reported that sailors in Columbus' time often nicknamed their ships just as we do today.
The Santa Maria is the correct name but the sailors did not call her that. She was built in the province of Galicia and she was nicknamed La Gallega. As far as the Nina goes, that wasn't the name either. She was named for the vessel. The real name of the Nina was the Santa Clara.The fact that Columbus "discovered America" is often disputed. Where exactly did Columbus land? It is said he actually landed in the West Indies, specifically the Bahamas and most likely Watling's Island or San Salvador. That part of the story that is true is that he did indeed land on October the 12th.
She was nicknamed the Nina because her owner was a man named Juan Nino. As far as the Pinta goes, well, we really don't know. Clearly, Pinta was her nickname, but what her real name, that's uncertain.
October 12 their dream came true,
You never saw a happier crew!
A former prime minister of the Bahamas when discussing which of the Bahama Islands might have been Columbus' landfall, his response was that he really didn't care which island it was as long as it was still in the Bahamas.
Columbus described Bahamians as "well-built, good bodies, and handsome figures...They would make fine servants."
"Indians! Indians!" Columbus cried;His heart was filled with joyful pride.
But "India" the land was not;
It was the Bahamas, and it was hot.
The Arakawa natives were very nice;
They gave the sailors food and spice.
We were not taught in school (at least what I remember), that Columbus and his fellow sailors were actually brutal to the Bahamians. They were slave traders, thieves, and murderers. The consequences of his attitude towards these people is well documented. The first European historians in the Americas estimate that at least 5 million indigenous people had been killed by the end of 1496, only 3 years after Columbus' arrival.
Due to excavations in Newfoundland support the claim that Vikings sailing from Greenland were the first Europeans to discover America around 1,000 A.D.! So this leaves one to question: If Christopher Columbus was not the first sailor, European or otherwise, to discover America, what are we celebrating? I think Berkeley, California has the right idea of celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day, to honor the real first Americans.
There is some modern opposition to the holiday - Columbus Day - as why do we, as Americans, hold the story of Columbus in such high regard? In looking at history, people love certainty and they love heroes. Here was have certainty, a date, October 12, 1492, and we have a heroic figure, Christopher Columbus.
Columbus Day is a national holiday that as a kid I always looked forward to...a day off from school! Many stores have "Super Savings", towns have parades or other celebrations but for some this "holiday" is simply an inconvenience Banks are closed, state and federal governments close, the US Postal Service, and some schools.
But have you ever really thought about what Americans are truly celebrating? What is the true story of Christopher Columbus?
