US: Christopher Columbus Was a Bad Guy

According to the article, the detailed facts were taught to fifth graders, who would be about ten, and fourth graders, who would be about nine.

The article didn't open with teaching five year olds. It opened with teaching fifth graders, who would be about ten, and also mentioned teaching fourth graders, who would be about nine.

Actually, it starts with a mention of a kindergarten class reading a poem. I agree that it's important to teach the accurate history, but making it age appropriate is important. It sounds like this teacher is doing that. He's not talking to them about how Columbus raped and pillaged his way across the America's, but talking about what it was like to be an explorer like Columbus.

I'm pretty sure we learned the sugar coated version when I was in school. I don't remember learning otherwise until I was older.

True, the details were taught to older students but to teach kindergartners that some is mean very mean seems so wrong and inappropriate at that age. And that is how the article opened.

I'm pretty sure we learned the sugar coated version when I was in school. I don't remember learning otherwise until I was older.

Same with me, although now in 2009 the other side of the Columbus story is hardly news. In fact, I seem to recall it coming up every Columbus Day ... should we be celebrating this man?

Same with me, although now in 2009 the other side of the Columbus story is hardly news. In fact, I seem to recall it coming up every Columbus Day ... should we be celebrating this man?

Perhaps we should drop him by name and have Explorers Day, similar to no more George Washington days. I beleive they are all classed as Presidents Day. Correct me if I am wrong as I am not sure since all that changed long after I left the US.

Perhaps we should drop him by name and have Explorers Day, similar to no more George Washington days. I beleive they are all classed as Presidents Day. Correct me if I am wrong as I am not sure since all that changed long after I left the US.

Isn't that already happening? It's hardly a holiday anymore.

Isn't that already happening? It's hardly a holiday anymore.

I don't think so It is Columbus Day and is it not an official day off from work?

Same with me, although now in 2009 the other side of the Columbus story is hardly news. In fact, I seem to recall it coming up every Columbus Day ... should we be celebrating this man?

It does seem a bit stupid to continue to celebrate this guy. Now that I'm not in the US, I do find it a bit strange that all of our holidays are in celebration of something, particularly when it's not a holiday that everyone acknowledges and in fact, some people find offensive.  

AyouBob....federal employees have the day off and banks are closed, etc.

It's optional in most States now I think -- I know it is in New York. Banks and the Post Office still recognise it as an official holiday but not many employers give it as a day off anymore.

AyouBob....federal employees have the day off and banks are closed, etc.

Thanks. That is what I thought. It is still a holiday for a lot of people then.

I lived in RI which has a big Italian population, Columbus Day was always a huge event. They painted red, white & green stripes down the middle of the street on Federal Hill (the Italian section), have a massive parade and festival, and generally celebrate for an entire long weekend. However, not everyone in the state is on board. The university I went to in RI recently dropped Columbus Day as a holiday and now have a more inclusive "Fall Weekend." Of course, that in turn has been subjected to attacks and criticised for being against American values.  

There's a Columbus Day parade in New York as well. But it always seemed to be the default Italian day parade. The Irish had St. Patrick's day, The German's had Stuben day, the Polish had Pulaki day, etc. The Italians ended up with Columbus Day because he was Italian I guess. It always seemed manufactured to me.

I know it's an offical bank holiday and federal and state governments are closed so it is a 'big' day but almost everyone I know outside of government employees has to work.

I learned all this when I was in elementary school in the 1970s.

I'm shocked that it's considered "news" to people.

1. Love the name.

2. I never learned this even in my high school history class. The view of Columbus presented was incredibly one-dimensional. I think it was never more involved than "He landed in Hispaniola," and "he was mean to the natives sometimes."

That's about as deep as it went.

What exactly do you find strange about the article? It’s Columbus Day, a newspaper runs a story of interest about Columbus, one which really does not present anything new or that hasn’t been discussed before. Nothing I read appeared controversial. Just wondering what your objections are.

I find it strange because we were never taught anything even remotely bad about Columbus.  We were taught that he did *not* discover America (and they stressed how this was a common myth) but we were taught that he was an extremely honorable and great man.  I never said I (personally) had any objections; I said I wasn't sure how I felt about it.

I'm not sure where other people live that were taught this type of information...but I never was (I did know this information from outside sources, but never knew it was being taught in school) so even if it's "old news" to you, it's very "new news" to me!  My daughter is in Kindergarten and part of their curriculum for the year is to be able to identify explorers...and Columbus is on that list.  Even though we're moving now so I'll never know, I was interested to see what she would be taught about him...at age 5.

I see what you read but you seemed to have missed sharing with us the paragraph that preceeds your quote. It says,
"When Columbus first landed on Hispaniola in 1492, virtually the entire island was covered by lush forest. The Taino "Indians" who loved there had an apparently idyllic life prior to Columbus, from the reports left to us by literate members of Columbus's crew such as Miguel Cuneo."

Your rapist is Miguel Cuneo! And using a blog written by a talk radio personality and presenting it as some sort of investigative journalism is wrong.

The first bit was by Cuneo, the other parts *were* written *BY* Columbus (where he describes how 9 and 10 year olds are in demand!).

And just because Thom Hartmann ALSO has a radio talk show does not mean that is ALL he does or that he is somehow a terrible source. I will find a better source.

Your "snippets of actual letters written by Columbus" were maybe written by a crew member.

Read more carefully please.

Five Hundred years ago the world was a much different place.Standards and norms back then are barbaric today. Christopher Columbus did not invent the slave trade. It was something considered normal at the time. He was an explorer who took money from a country to fund his explorations. It was his job to find wealth to pay back the money.
 I agree he was not the man most were taught he was.People do need to see the different viewpoints of him.I just take offense to you claiming he "raped little girls" based on the info you read by Thom Hartmann and Wikepedia.

It boggles me that you are defending slavery or insisting that Columbus was free to take part in it because it was "the norm" (which, at that time period it wasn't, actually, slavery took off after the "discovery" of the New World - we can thank Columbus in part for that, as once he ran out of Taino indians to enslave he started importing them from Africa!). I don't know why you seem to take it so personally that Columbus was not a good person - and yes, I really do believe that he raped Taino women and girls, as well as tortured individuals - but you shouldn't take my word on it, I will find a better source!