History Short: Christopher Columbus

Each year, the second Monday of October commemorates the landing of Christopher Columbus in the Americas in 1492.

Many agree that Columbus deserves a day of remembrance. But many do not. Columbus has definitely been the subject of much criticism in recent years.

Columbus statues all over the country have been removed or vandalized: at least 33 of them in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests related to the death of George Floyd. BLM claimed that it wanted to “force America to deal with its past.” So, the question for many becomes this: Is Columbus to blame for the death of so many dark-skinned indigenous people?

But, whether Columbus was a harbinger of death or not, those statues should never have been taken down or vandalized. The reason is simple: Columbus played an important part in our American history. Period.

Statues serve as reminders of the past. And sometimes the past isn’t so pretty.

As the philosopher, George Santayana, said in his 1905 book, The Life of Reason: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

It took great courage to sail across the vast Atlantic Ocean in 1492, and face the unknown.

Imagine what it would be like 534 years ago to get on a tiny ship with hopefully enough food and water to get you all the way across the Atlantic. It's hard to believe anyone would be willing to put themselves through the uncertainty and deprivation of sailing into the unknown. Columbus barely found a crew willing to sail with him, but finally, he did. On August 3^rd 1492, three boats, the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria set sail.

By October 9^th 1492, Columbus and his men had been sailing for two months, without any sign of land. Some of his crew threatened mutiny and wanted to turn back to Spain. They were at the point of despair. He asked for just 3 more days and if they hadn't spotted land by then, he promised to take them back home. Two days later he noticed reeds and twigs floating in the water. Land had to be close. They reached land at 2:00 AM that following morning. Around noon that day, Columbus instructed his men to kneel to pray the following:

"O Lord, Almighty and everlasting God, by Thy Holy Word, Thou hast created the Heavens, and the earth and the sea; blessed and glorified by Thy name, and praised be They Majesty, which hath deigned to use us, thy humble servants, that Thy Holy Name may be proclaimed in this new world."

Most people don't realize that although Columbus sailed under the Spanish flag, he answered to a Higher Authority than the Spanish crown. Some historians even claim that Columbus was actually hoping to discover an alternate route to Jerusalem. In his writings, he documented that the guide for this historic journey was not maps or the skill of sailing, but his faith. And he saw himself carrying it out in God’s name.

THAT is probably something that should be remembered.  💗 🇺🇸