Columbus: A Great Man Worthy of Celebration
Why Columbus Day Deserves to be Celebrated
It is Columbus Day. Longtime fans of my show will know that it is a tradition on Columbus Day to talk about the holiday and why it deserves to be celebrated, despite what the leftist crybabies and historical revisionists might say. I will continue with this tradition for as long as the holiday and the man it commemorates remain under attack, which means that I will continue indefinitely.
Now, if you hear Columbus acknowledged at all today in the media or by any political or cultural figure of note, it will almost certainly be a condemnation. They will tell us, as they have been telling us for many years, that Columbus was a genocidal maniac whose arrival led to the alleged genocide of so-called “native Americans” or “indigenous people.” In the same breath, without a hint of irony, they will also decry what they describe as overly simplistic portrayals of Columbus and his voyages — hoping you don’t notice how no portrayal of Columbus is as absurdly and cartoonishly simplistic as the one you get from these very same people.
As mentioned, I have made the case many times for why Columbus deserves to be celebrated, deserves to have his federal holiday, and his statues, and his cities named after him. The case is pretty straight forward. Christopher Columbus was a very great man, and one of the most consequential figures to ever live on planet Earth. He quite easily had more of an impact than every single one of his modern critics combined — times a thousand. These are the people we give holidays to, or used to. The people who shaped the world. And say whatever else you want about Columbus, he did more than almost any other single person to shape the world we live in today.
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It’s often said — by idiots who claimed to be intellectually nuanced — that if Columbus did achieve this world-shaping feat, he did it “accidentally.” Even if that’s true, it wouldn’t change his significance or the significance of what he accomplished. But it’s not true. He may have been looking for the East Indies — looking, in other words, for land he knew existed rather than looking for land he didn’t know existed, so could not have been looking for by definition — but there was nothing accidental about his voyage. He didn’t trip and fall and drift across the Atlantic. Rather, he led a small fleet of ships over an unknown ocean, without the use of any modern navigational equipment. Without even a map to guide the way. You would think that this would be impressive to modern people who can’t manage to drive to the Starbucks three blocks away without the assistance of satellite navigation. But that would require modern people to have humility and perspective, both of which are in short supply.
Over the course of his four voyages, Columbus discovered many Caribbean islands and explored the coasts of Central and South America. The full scope of what he had discovered would not be fully understood until after he died, but the fact remains that Columbus brought western civilization across a vast and uncharted and dangerous sea, and into a previously unexplored and unknown hemisphere of the globe. He forever changed the world, and he changed it in a way and to a degree matched by very few other people who have ever lived on the planet — and aside from Jesus Christ, exceeded by perhaps no one. He did this through his courage and daring and brilliance and vision. All things worth admiring and all virtues that Columbus possessed in far greater quantity than any of his smarmy, petty, non-contributing critics.
Was Columbus also a deeply flawed man? Could he be brutal and unjust? Yes. Welcome to almost any great man who has ever lived.
Sure, Columbus captured slaves. He executed both Spaniards and Indians under his rule. He took gold. He was by all accounts a bad governor. This was a common flaw of explorers of the era. Many of them were brilliant on their ships but incompetent or downright horrible on solid ground. Magellan made it three-quarters of the way around the world before getting himself killed in a needless conflict with a tribe in the Philippines. A certain type of man was needed to navigate a fleet of ships across uncharted waters. A different kind of man was needed to manage settlements. Unfortunately, the latter type had no way of getting to the settlement except by hitching a ride with the former. And the former wasn’t often willing to cede control of the land he had just gone through all the trouble of discovering, a somewhat understandable reluctance, I think.
There is nothing wrong with acknowledging the flaws of men like Christopher Columbus. Nobody is suggesting that we should honor them as perfect people or worship them as gods. The point of the statues, the monuments, and the holidays is to remember and celebrate the indispensable role they played in establishing the civilization in which we all now live — a civilization that just so happens to be the freest and most prosperous in the history of the world. Columbus, through his navigational brilliance, boldness, courage, vision, and determination, is one of the men we have to thank for that.
Some people might claim that western civilization is nothing to be thankful for at all. I can’t help but notice, though, that those people still choose to live here, enjoying the comforts and freedoms given to them by the very men whose monuments they deface and holidays they cancel. They claim this is “stolen land,” yet they remain on it, basking in its luxuries. The fact is that they would much prefer to live in the “colonized” version of this land than the alternative. Most Indian tribes were about five to six thousand years behind the more advanced civilizations on the other side of the ocean. If left to their own devices, by now they probably still wouldn’t have even invented the wheel. That is not a world that any supposed opponent of “colonization” would want to live in, no matter what they say.
The Replacement of Columbus Day
Which brings us to the day that has come to replace Columbus Day. Now you will hear most people in the mainstream talk about “Indigenous Peoples” day. Joe Biden recognized “Indigenous Peoples Day” in a presidential proclamation for the first time two years ago. In many corners of American society, it has entirely supplanted Columbus Day. But Indigenous Peoples Day is a total farce, a disgrace, and a joke, for several reasons.
First, it isn’t a real holiday, it’s a political statement. A protest. A thing invented specifically to overshadow Columbus Day. Leftists don’t understand why this is a problem because everything they do is reactive in this way. Their whole cultural agenda is designed to supplant, destroy, dismantle the old traditions and values. They have no ideas of their own. Nothing new or interesting to say. They just have a bunch of things they don’t like and want to destroy for reasons they can barely articulate. Columbus Day celebrates one of the greatest historical figures to ever live. Indigenous People’s Day is a political tactic meant to undermine that same historical figure. So, if you want a real holiday in order to celebrate “Indigenous people,” then get your own day. Try for once to come up with one idea that isn’t designed to simply be the opposite of someone else’s idea. Think for yourself for a change, you halfwit plagiarists.
Second, the underlying premise of the day is false. This is supposedly a day to acknowledge the people whose land was stolen by European settlers, but the whole “stolen land” thing is preposterous. There were maybe as low as one or two million Indians living on the entire North American continent by the 15th century. At most, there were 15 or 20 million. The point is that the vast, vast majority of the land was unoccupied; North America was mostly an untamed, unexplored, uninhabited wilderness. The smattering of tribes spread out across 9 million square miles did not own the whole thing. People these days talk as if the Europeans had no right to come here in the first place (an interesting assertion from open borders advocates), but that is obviously absurd on its face. The tide of civilizational expansion and progress was not going to be held back forever. And the idea that a rag tag collection of warring stone age tribes somehow laid eternal claim to this entire hemisphere is just insane. The land was destined to be conquered by more civilized and advanced people, and it was, and thank God it was.
Third, the whole concept of “indigenous people” is arbitrary, if not totally nonsensical. What makes a person “indigenous” exactly? How long does their lineage have to be present here? If I can trace my family back 100 years, is that not good enough? 200 years? 300 years? The absurd reality is that if you are a white person living in the United States of America, and your ancestors arrived here on the Mayflower 400 years ago, you still somehow do not count as either native or indigenous. This is not your native land, even after four centuries. Then where exactly is your native land? If you are not indigenous to this place, the place where you were born, and your parents were born, and your grandparents, and your grandparents grandparents, then where are you indigenous? The answer is nowhere. The cultural powers that be want you to consider yourself ancestrally homeless. You belong nowhere. You are a usurper and an invader no matter where you go. You have no native home, no matter how long your family has lived here.
Nobody applies this standard to the so-called “indigenous people.” None of them “originated” here. They all descend from people who came here at some point in the past and fought over the land and killed each other to claim whatever slice of it they possessed before the white settlers arrived. Those settlers fought for it too, and won. They built a life for themselves through work and toil and hardship and blood. Yet we are supposed to live in a state of perpetual shame over this history.
Well, I refuse to play that game. This is my home. I am native to this country. I originate here. I belong here. I am proud of our history. I am proud of the men who built our civilization. I celebrate those men. I will continue to celebrate them. Were they colonizers? Sure they were, and I celebrate that too. They colonized. Meaning they forged into an unknown wilderness and built a life for themselves, expanding western civilization in the process. It was a virtuous act. And through it, they earned the right to call this place home, and for all of their descendants through the ages to do the same.
That is why they get the holidays, they earned them.
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What were some of the positive contributions and historical significance of Columbus’ achievements in regards to exploration and cultural exchange between the Old World and the New World?
Lead and govern a colony. Columbus may not have been the best governor, but that doesn’t diminish his incredible accomplishments as an explorer and navigator. His flaws were certainly significant, but they do not negate his contributions to history and the world.
Critics often focus solely on Columbus’ negative actions and overlook the context of the time and the prevailing attitudes of society. Slavery was unfortunately a widespread practice during the Age of Exploration, and many explorers and conquerors engaged in such activities. Columbus cannot be singled out as the only offender in this regard.
Furthermore, it is important to remember that Columbus’ voyages marked the beginning of an era of exploration and discovery that had a profound impact on the world. His discovery of the Americas opened up new opportunities for trade, colonization, and cultural exchange between the Old World and the New World. This exchange, despite its complexities and consequences, brought about significant advancements in areas such as science, technology, agriculture, and medicine. It led to the exchange of ideas and knowledge that shaped the world we live in today.
Columbus’ voyages also sparked further exploration and colonization efforts, ultimately leading to the establishment of colonies and the spread of European influence throughout the Americas. While the consequences of these endeavors were not always positive for indigenous populations, it cannot be denied that they had a lasting impact on the shape of modern societies.
Columbus Day serves as a reminder of the courage, determination, and vision of a man who embarked on a perilous journey into the unknown. It commemorates the pivotal moment in history when the Old World and the New World first made contact, forever altering the course of human civilization. Columbus Day is a celebration of exploration, discovery, and the human spirit’s unyielding quest for knowledge and adventure.
While it is important to acknowledge the darker aspects of Columbus’ actions and the consequences of European colonization, it is also crucial to recognize the positive contributions and the historical significance of his achievements. We should not succumb to the revisionist tendencies of dismissing and erasing history but rather strive to understand our past in all its complexity and learn from its lessons.
Columbus Day provides an opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations and reflections on the legacy of Columbus and the larger historical context in which he operated. It encourages us to critically examine the impact of colonialism and the ongoing struggles for justice and equality faced by indigenous peoples. It challenges us to confront the complexities of history, rather than shy away from them.
In conclusion, Columbus Day deserves to be celebrated because it commemorates a pivotal moment in history and recognizes the achievements, however flawed, of an individual who shaped the world we live in today. It serves as a reminder that our history, like our world, is complex and multi-faceted, and that a nuanced understanding of the past is necessary for a more enlightened future.
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