Columbus Day: Should We Keep Doing This?
This is an extra credit paper, it is not required, and not doing it will not harm your grade. Writing this paper can only help your grade. A poor grade will not hurt your grade at all.
For generations, children in the United States have been taught that: “In Fourteen Hundred and Ninety-Two, Columbus Sailed the Ocean Blue…” and discovered America. We were taught that his voyage of discovery lead to the creation of our nation and that we should celebrate him with his own national holiday.
Today we know that this is not historically accurate. There are many problems with the recorded and accepted history of Columbus’ impact on history and the people who inhabited the islands he visited before he showed up.
The national holiday has an important history that has little to do with the authentic history of the man named Columbous, and more to do with Italian heritage, and a history of discrimination in our country.
Because we know more now, many states and cities have already abandoned Columbus Day in favor of an Indigenous Peoples’ Day or an Italian Heritage Day.
This essay asks you to do some research and take a stand on this simple question.
Should we continue to celebrate Columbus Day as a national holiday in the United States or should we abandon it, or replace it with a more appropriate holiday?
You must find a credible (as in solid, reliable academic sources, not Wikipedia) to back up your claim. Then you must make a cogent argument that explains your position. You may not argue both sides of the issue; i.e. “I both agree and disagree”.
Whatever your position may be, it must be clear.
Your argument should go beyond your desire to have a day off of school or work. Consider the merits of celebrating this man. You may argue for a replacement holiday, or to keep the holiday in tact as is, or to eliminate Columbus day altogether.
Your essay should:
Revolve around a clear thesis that makes a single arguable claim that takes a stand about the importance of celebrating Columbus Day as a national Holiday.
Explain and connect quotations from your research
Explain, and connect this concrete evidence to support your thesis
Nuts and Bolts:
2-3 pages 1” margins, 12 pt. readable font, double spaced
Proofread for sentence and word level clarity and adherence to MLA conventions
Follow MLA conventions for in-text citations and Works Cited
