MY POINT OF VIEW: Who really discovered America?

Christopher Columbus

by Gary Kennedy

Once a year we find time to check out our roots and how we came to be, and who made it all happen. Christopher Columbus arrived in the Americas at Guanahani, an island in the Bahamas, on October 12, 1492. Many do not celebrate this holiday anymore as it is believed that genocide occurred and paved the way to slavery. Although many say that the greater glorification is the exploration. Indigenous people of North America take exception to this holiday as they were already settled here. So now many states refer to this holiday as Indigenous People’s Day. South Dakota became the first to officially celebrate this holiday calling it Native American Day, in 1992. Many cities throughout the United States have replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day. It appears that the change of this holiday is a national work in progress but some still cling to Columbus Day.

An example of conflict on a local level is Boston. Mayor Kim Janey, Boston’s first black woman mayor, had Boston as Indigenous Day to replace what was referred to as Colonial Myths passed down over generations. In 2022 an incoming Democrat, Michelle Wu, under pressure, was compelled to change back and add to this already holiday in conflict. Along with Indigenous Peoples Day was added Italian Heritage Day. This was a clever way of getting Columbus in under another guise. We know during those times slavery was popular and felt needed for the growth of the colonies.

Also, it was very profitable. People basically don’t care much for change. To be honest about it, I don’t care much for it either. As a youth I was taught and learned many lies. The topic was real and good but taught in a non factual manner. I had to get old and experience life to finally see the truth. Sometimes you need to stand on your own and extrapolate from that which the prudent feed you. As far as the reason for Columbus Day it is most likely a happening that is true and the players in this somewhat factual occurrence are probably not even close to Christopher Columbus, period, and even more precisely on the continent.

It was Amerigo Vespucci who realized Columbus had found a new land and in 1507 named it America. Texas A&M believes Indigenous peoples discovered America, not European explorers. Some evidence has been discovered that leads some scholars to believe that Polynesians were the first/ others believe Leif Ericson may have been the first to step on the continent, from Europe. However, to say Columbus “discovered” America would be a bit of a misnomer because there were many people already here.

American Archaeology’s Michael Bawaya states the Native Americans came here from Asia probably “no later than about 15,000 years ago. They walked across the Bering land bridge that connected Siberia and Alaska. In those days the ocean was much lower and the bridge was hundreds of kilometers wide. From there they traveled south to America, Mexico and South America. Remnants’ of these migrants were discovered in Mexico dating back 11,000 years. These people were known as Clovis people. If you travel Asia you can see the similarity in peoples of American Indian decent. In any case we still have Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples Day. Best of all we get another day off to enjoy our family and friends. God bless you and yours and have a fun, safe holiday.

The views of the author of this column are not necessarily those of The Town Line newspaper, its staff and board of directors.