Columbus Day has been a holiday celebrated for 150 years and has been shrouded in controversy. Many believe the holiday should not be celebrated based on Columbus’s poor treatment towards the natives and his destructive, as well as selfish, actions. Genocide of thousands of Native Americans is not something to be celebrated. Therefore, I believe that Columbus Day should not be celebrated in the way it has been.

In the Ted Talk Video “History vs. Columbus” it is pointed out that Columbus wasn’t even the first European to visit America; in fact, “The Norse had settled Newfoundland 500 years before.” Also, Columbus was a self-centered man whose actions were fueled by his lust for power, fame and fortune, which can be shown in his journal writing, rather than a love for exploration, as that is all he wanted for his deeds. Also his treatment of natives, as well as others, was so horrific that he was even imprisoned by his fellow colonists.

For these reasons I believe that the holiday should be replaced with a new holiday and the name would be Immigrants Day. We would celebrate different cultures and the melting pot that is America. This is because, like Columbus Day, Immigrants Day would be founded on the same basic principle of discovery, but only honors the better side of immigration in America. This is a better alternative to a holiday that celebrates a foreigner’s evil exploitation of Native people and a dark history.