Many people in the United States and Latin America have grown up celebrating the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's voyage, but was he an intrepid explorer who brought two worlds together or a ruthless exploiter who brought colonialism and slavery? And did he even discover America at all? It's time to put Columbus on the stand in History vs. Christopher Columbus. "Order, order in the court. Wait, am I even supposed to be at work today?" <i>Cough</i> "Yes, your Honor. From 1792, Columbus Day was celebrated in many parts of the United States on October 12th, the actual anniversary date. But although it was declared an official holiday in 1934, individual states aren't required to observe it. Only 23 states close public services, and more states are moving away from it completely." <i>Cough</i> "What a pity. In the 70s, we even moved it to the second Monday in October so people could get a nice three-day weekend, but I guess you folks just hate celebrations." "Uh, what are we celebrating again?" "Come on, Your Honor, we all learned it in school. Christopher Columbus convinced the King of Spain to send him on a mission to find a better trade route to India, not by going East over land but sailing West around the globe. Everyone said it was crazy because they still thought the world was flat, but he knew better. And when in 1492 he sailed the ocean blue, he found something better than India: a whole new continent." "What rubbish. First of all, educated people knew the world was round since Aristotle. Secondly, Columbus didn't discover anything. There were already people living here for millennia. And he wasn't even the first European to visit. The Norse had settled Newfoundland almost 500 years before." "You don't say, so how come we're not all wearing those cow helmets?" "Actually, they didn't really wear those either." <i>Cough</i> "Who cares what some Vikings did way back when? Those settlements didn't last, but Columbus's did. And the news he brought back to Europe spread far and wide, inspiring all the explorers and settlers who came after. Without him, none of us would be here today." "And because of him, millions of Native Americans aren't here today. Do you know what Columbus did in the colonies he founded? He took the very first natives he met prisoner and wrote in his journal about how easily he could conquer and enslave all of them." "Oh, come on. Everyone was fighting each other back then. Didn't the natives even tell Columbus about other tribes raiding and taking captives?" "Yes, but tribal warfare was sporadic and limited. It certainly didn't wipe out 90% of the population." "Hmm. Why is celebrating this Columbus so important to you, anyway?" "Your Honor, Columbus's voyage was an inspiration to struggling people all across Europe, symbolizing freedom and new beginnings. And his discovery gave our grandparents and great-grandparents the chance to come here and build better lives for their children. Don't we deserve a hero to remind everyone that our country was build on the struggles of immigrants?" "And what about the struggles of Native Americans who were nearly wiped out and forced into reservations and whose descendants still suffer from poverty and discrimination? How can you make a hero out of a man who caused so much suffering?" "That's history. You can't judge a guy in the 15th century by modern standards. People back then even thought spreading Christianity and civilization across the world was a moral duty." "Actually, he was pretty bad, even by old standards. While governing Hispaniola, he tortured and mutilated natives who didn't bring him enough gold and sold girls as young as nine into sexual slavery, and he was brutal even to the other colonists he ruled, to the point that he was removed from power and thrown in jail. When the missionary, Bartolomé de las Casas, visited the island, he wrote, 'From 1494 to 1508, over 3,000,000 people had perished from war, slavery and the mines. Who in future generations will believe this?'" "Well, I'm not sure I believe those numbers." "Say, aren't there other ways the holiday is celebrated?" "In some Latin American countries, they celebrate the same date under different names, such as Día de la Raza. In these places, it's more a celebration of the native and mixed cultures that survived through the colonial period. Some places in the U.S. have also renamed the holiday, as Native American Day or Indigenous People's Day and changed the celebrations accordingly." "So, why not just change the name if it's such a problem?" "Because it's tradition. Ordinary people need their heroes and their founding myths. Can't we just keep celebrating the way we've been doing for a century, without having to delve into all this serious research? It's not like anyone is actually celebrating genocide." "Traditions change, and the way we choose to keep them alive says a lot about our values." "Well, it looks like giving tired judges a day off isn't one of those values, anyway." Traditions and holidays are important to all cultures, but a hero in one era may become a villain in the next as our historical knowledge expands and our values evolve. And deciding what these traditions should mean today is a major part of putting history on trial.
Li Amerîkayê gellek mirov ji biçûkatiyê ve salvegera Sefera Christopher Columbusî pîroz dikin. Gelo Christopher Columbus ew keşfdar bû ku her du dinya gihandin hev? an zordarekî bû ku mêtingerî û koletî anî Amerîkayê? Gelo bi rastî wî Amerîka keşf kir? Niha dem ew dem e ku em Christopher Columbus darizînin. "Bêdeng bin, bêdeng bin di dadgehê de, Ma divê ez îro bişixulim?" "Belê, birêz dadger, Ji 1792'an û vir ve 12ê Kewçêrê, li gelek deverên Amerîkayê wek roja Columbus tê pîrozkirin. Di sala 1934an de, ev roj bi awayê fermî wek betlane hat pejirandin, lê parêzgeh li ser vê biryarê neman. Bi tenê 23 parêzgehan, ev roj wek betlane qebûlkir, parêzgehên din karên xwe ranewestandin" "Xebînet e, heyf e, di salên 70yî de me bi sê rojan betlane dikir û em sê rojan bi şahî dijîn, lê mirovên vê heyamê ji pîrozbahiyan fahm nakin'' "Uh, Em dîsa çi pîroz dikin?" "Birêz dadger, em hemû li dibistanê hîn bûn. Christopher Columbus qralê Spanyayê qaneh kir ku rêyeke nû ya Hîndîstanê bibîne, lê ne di rojhilatî re, di rojavayî re. Hemû kesî got tu dîn î, dinya rast e, lê wî bêhtir dizanî. Dema di 1492yan de bi rê ket, wî ciyekî ji Hîndîstanê çêtir dît: parzemîneke nû." "Tev derew e. Ya ewil, însanên zanyar dizanîn ku dinya gulover e. Ya duyem Columbusî tiştek keşf nekir. Ji hezar sal zêdetir bû, mirov li wir dijîyan, û beriya ku Columbus biçe, Ewrûpî hatibûn Amerîkayê. 500 sal beriya Columbus biçe, Vîkîng hatibûn Amerîkayê." "Nexwe çima li serê me hemûyan mîxferên Vîkîng'ê tune?" "Bi rastî tu car ew mîxfer bi kar neanîn." "Xema kê ye ku Vîkîng hatine? Vîkîngan dewam nekir, wenda bûn, lê Colombous'i dewam kir, û xeber gihişt hemû Ewrûpayê , gellek mirov hatin li Amerîkayê bi cî bûn. Ne ji wî bibûya yek ji me îro ne li vir bû." "Û bi xêra wî bi mîlyonan niştecihên Amerîkayê îro ne li vir in. Colombous, tu dizanî di mêtingehan de çi kir, dema ew der ava kirin? Niştecihên ku yekem car dîtî, dîl girt û nivîsî ku çawa niştecihên Amerîkayê bi hêsanî tên girtin û dibin kole. "Of, hemî kes bi hev re şer dike. Beriya Colombousî jî eşîrên Amerîkayê bi hev re şer dikir û hev dîl digirt. "Erê, lê şerê eşîran hinek xwezayî bû û Ji 90%î gel nehat qirkirin. "Hmm. Çima pîrozkirina roja Columbus ji bo we ewqas girîng e?" "Birêz dadgeh, Sefera Columbusî ji bo me sembola azadiyê û nîşaneya jiyaneke nû ye, û keşfa Colombousî derfet çêkir ji bo kalikên me ku bên vê derê, jiyaneke nû ava bikin. Gelo mafê me tune ye em lehengê ku bûye sembola têkoşîna penaberan bibîr bînin?" ''Tu qala berxwedana niştecihên Amerîkayê ku du re hemû hatin qetilkirin nakî û heta, îro jî zilm û zordarî li zarokên wan tên kirin û xizan in. Çawa mirovekî ku bûye sedema ewqas zordariyê, dibe leheng?" "Tu nikarî bi awayekî modern mirovekî ji sedsala 15an darizînî. Ji bo mirovên wê serdemê belavkirina ola mesihî û şaristaniyê erkeke pîroz bû." "Bi rastî ew li gor serdema xwe jî pir zordar bû. Dema ku ew desthilatdarê Hispaniola bû, li însanên ku zêr nedianîn, şkence dikir û ew însan seqet dibûn. Wî keçikên neh salî dikirin koleyên seksê, û ji mêtingehkarên din zêdetir zalim bû û di dawiyê de derb li desthilatdariya wî hat xistin û ket girtîgehê. ''Gava ku mîsyoner, Bartolomé de las Casas, serdana giravê kir, nivîsî ku, ji 1494an heta 1508an, nêzikê 3 mîlyon însan ji ber şer û koletiyê telef bûne. Di siberojê de dê kî, baweriya xwe bi we bîne?'' "Bi rastî, ez ji van hejmaran bawer nakim.'' "Awayekî din nîn e ku vê rojê pîroz bikin?" "Li hin welatên din yên Latîn Amerîkayê heman rojê bi navekî din pîroz dikin, wek Día de la Raza. Li wan deran wek roja berxwedana çanda xwe li hember mêtingehkariyê pîroz dikin. Hin deverên Amerîkayê, ev roj, bi navê Roja Binecihên Amerîkî tê pîrozkirin, û wateya rojê jî diguhere.'' "Ku pirsgirêk ev be, çima tenê nav naguherînin?" "Ji ber ku ev kevneşopî ye. Ji mirovên ji rêzê re leheng û çîrokên wan pewîst in. Bêyî ku evqas lêkolînên tevlihev bikin, em nikarin weke ku em bi hezar salan dikin, pîroz bikin? Ev ne pîrozkirina komkujiyekê ye." "Kevnoşopî diguherin û awayê ku em pîroz dikin nirxên me nîşan dide. " "Baş e, ez jî westiyam, rojeke ku ne nirxê îro ye darizînim." Kevnoşopî û pîrozbahî ji bo hemû çandan girîng in, lê lehengê çandekê belkî ji bo çandeke din zordar be. Zanyariyên me yên dîrokî nirxên me jî diguherînin. ji bo em bikarin wateya rastîn a kevneşopiyan fahm bikin, , hewce ye em wan di dadgeha dîrokî de darizînin.