Columbus Day (EFL) – EFLsuccess.com

Honoring an explorer, and interpreting history ⇔

Holiday: Columbus Day, part 1 (lower English version)
© Oct 2020 Michael Krigline, MA

Note to teachers: These “shorter” articles would work well in a “conversation” class
where the goal is to give students time to discuss material; for more detailed content, see the “longer” version.
Underlined terms are explained in the vocabulary section below.

Understanding Columbus Day, part one

Vocabulary: (underlined terms in either the article above or below; *key terms) sth = something; sb = somebody.

rhyme: to end with the same sound, or to put words together that end with the same sound
*to ridicule: (negative) to laugh at a person, idea, etc., and say that they are stupid
*accidental: not on purpose; in an unexpected way.
*honor: the respect that you, your country (etc) receives from others who are proud of you or your achievements (verb: to give this respect)
endeavor: an attempt to do sth new or difficult
*controversy: a serious argument or disagreement because many people have strong yet different opinions on the subject
*legacy: a lasting effect; an ongoing result of sth that happened in history
voyage: a long trip by ship (or spacecraft)
parade: an organized event where people march together down the street in order to celebrate an event or holiday (in America, parades often include marching bands of musicians, large balloons, floats—specially decorated vehicles—sponsored by companies and clubs, clowns, men on horses, smiling models and stars, antique cars, and much more)
*heritage: traditional customs or values (often related to something shared, such as ethnicity or a family’s history)
*to observe: to watch with interest; to do what you are supposed to do according to law/custom Samuel observes Veteran’s Day each year because his father was killed in a war.
commemorative: in a way that honors or remembers an event or contribution
*indigenous: native; not brought from somewhere else

School children learn the rhyme, “In 14 hundred, 92, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” Italian captain Christopher Columbus wrote: “It was the Lord who put into my mind…that it would be possible to sail from here to the Indies. All who heard of my project rejected it with laughter, ridiculing me.” He dared to think that sailing west would get Europeans to Asia. He was wrong, yet his accidental discovery of North and South America earned Columbus honor by making the world smaller. But understanding history is a complicated endeavor, for what is “good” often seems “bad” from another point of view.

Our next lesson will look at the Columbus controversy, but today we’ll talk about his positive legacy. Countless places, products and institutions bear his name, including Columbia University, Columbia SC, and Washington DC (District of Columbia). Since Spain paid for Columbus’ voyage, opening the Americas to Spanish settlers, Columbus’ voyage is also honored in some parts of Latin America, Spain and Italy. In the US, Columbus Day celebrations and parades date back to 1792. Many Italian-Americans celebrate their heritage by observing the holiday.In 1992, to honor the 500th anniversary of his voyage, Columbus’ Italian hometown spent 650 million dollars, while Spain spent 20 billion dollars on festivities. In many American cities, Columbus Day parades were larger than usual, and the day marked the start of a year of commemorative events.

But controversies arising from the 500th anniversary also led to the decline of Columbus Day celebrations in America. Some places replaced it with “Indigenous People’s Day.” Somehow, the explorer was blamed for bringing European disease and other evils upon the indigenous population of the Americas. We’ll talk more about that in our next lesson.

To show how Columbus made the world smaller, Drive Thru History summarized like this: Spain’s King and Queen hired an Italian explorer (Columbus) to survey what they thought was India and China, and then a German map-maker decided to call it America, the Latin name of another Italian explorer (Amerigo), who was named for a Hungarian Saint (Emeric). The “science” of his day said a plan to sail west was “utterly impossible to any educated person.” But Columbus believed God told him to go anyway, and the world would never be the same.

Discussion:

Are there any terms or ideas that you want the teacher to explain?
If Columbus Day is celebrated in your country, tell us about it.
Tell us about a famous explorer you are familiar with.
Talk about sth good that came out of an accident (e.g., when cooking, on a trip, etc)
Tell us about sth you do to celebrate your heritage.
The article talked about how Columbus “made the world smaller.” What does that mean? Give evidence to support or argue with that statement.
Columbus said that “the Lord put into his mind” to do what educated people in his time said was impossible. If you think “the Lord put it into your mind” to do something, tell us about it. If not, do you think that God “talks” to people like this? Explain.
If Columbus was still alive, how might he defend his honor or legacy? What sort of legacy do you want to leave for your children?
What is the most memorable commemorative event you have participated in? (perhaps a family event, or related to a holiday)

Sources include:

–Stars and Stripes; Facts and Folklore about the USA (by Dr Pamela McPartland-Fairman), McGraw-Hill 1998
–Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus_Day (visited 2020 Oct 12)
–Christianity History Institute: https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/overlooked-questions-about-columbus
–In defense of Christopher Columbus; https://godreports.com/2020/07/in-defense-of-christopher-columbus/
— Rare Collection of Quotes From Christopher Columbus; https://duoparadigms.com/2013/10/14/rare-collection-quotes-christopher-columbus-christian-statesman/
— Drive Thru History with Dave Stotts videos, episode 1 (Columbus); https://drivethruhistory.com/series/american-history/

=====================Lower English level=====================

Understanding Columbus Day, part 1(L)

Vocabulary: (underlined terms in either the article above or below; *key terms) sth = something; sb = somebody.

rhyme: to end with the same sound, or to put words together that end with the same sound
*accidental: not on purpose; in an unexpected way.
*honor: the respect that you, your country (etc) receives from others who are proud of you or your achievements (verb: to give this respect)
*controversy: a serious argument or disagreement because many people have strong yet different opinions on the subject
*legacy: a lasting effect; an ongoing result of sth that happened in history
voyage: a long trip by ship (or spacecraft)
parade: an organized event where people march together down the street in order to celebrate an event or holiday (in America, parades often include marching bands of musicians, large balloons, floats—specially decorated vehicles—sponsored by companies and clubs, clowns, men on horses, smiling models and stars, antique cars, and much more)
commemorative: in a way that honors or remembers an event or contribution
*indigenous: native; not brought from somewhere else

School children learn the rhyme, “In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” Italian captain Christopher Columbus dared to think that sailing west would get Europeans to Asia, though world leaders laughed at him. He was wrong, yet his accidental discovery of North and South America earned Columbus honor by making the world smaller. But history is complicated, for what is “good” often seems “bad” from another point of view.

In 1992, to honor the 500th anniversary of his voyage, Columbus’ Italian hometown spent 650 million dollars, while Spain spent 20 billion dollars on festivities. In America, big Columbus Day parades led to a year of commemorative events.

Some 500 years ago, a brave sailor made the world smaller. World leaders said a plan to sail west was “utterly impossible to any educated person.” But Columbus believed God told him to go anyway, and the world would never be the same.

Discussion: (are there any sentences you want to ask your teacher about?)

Content questions:
1. What year did Columbus leave Europe?
2. What country is Columbus from?
3. When he left Spain, sailing west, where did he think he was going?
4. Name some places where Columbus Day is celebrated.
5. Why were there a lot of big celebrations in 1992?
If Columbus Day is celebrated in your country, tell us about it.
Talk about sth good that came out of an accident (e.g., when cooking, on a trip, etc)
The article talked about how Columbus “made the world smaller.” What does that mean? Give evidence to support or argue with that statement.
Columbus said that “the Lord put into his mind” to do what educated people in his time said was impossible. If you think “the Lord put it into your mind” to do something, tell us about it. If not, do you think that God “talks” to people like this? Explain.
What is the most memorable commemorative event you have participated in? (perhaps a family event, or related to a holiday)

(Below the advertisement, I’ll post “part two” of this article, also presented for two levels of English.)

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Understanding Columbus Day, part two

Vocabulary: (underlined terms in either the article above or below; *key terms) sth = something; sb = somebody.

*accidental: not on purpose; in an unexpected way.
*honor: the respect that you, your country (etc) receives from others who are proud of you or your achievements (verb: to give this respect)
*indigenous: native; not brought from somewhere else
vandalize: to intentionally damage or destroy walls, statues, cars, or other things that are in public, often as a protest or part of “cancel culture”
voyage: a long trip by ship (or spacecraft)
colony: an area under the political control of a more powerful country, usually far away. [The USA’s 13 original states had formerly been British colonies in North America.]
colonial/colonization: colonial connects a noun to a colony (colonial governor/trade/war/resources/etc); colonization is the overall practice of making someplace into a colony
vice: a bad characteristic in humans, from a mild failing to a wicked or immoral habit
to decimate: to destroy a large part of sth
*complicated: complex; difficult to understand because it involves many related parts
*plenty of sth to go around: (idom) a lot of sth (love/money/hate/fun/blame), to share between many people
ruthless: without pity or heart; harsh; deadly
*the Silk Road: an ancient over-land trade route between China and the Mediterranean Sea
jihad: a holy war fought as a religious duty by Muslims (similar to the antique meaning of crusade in Christian contexts)
to prompt: to make sb decide to do sth [My parents prompted me to study law, but I wanted to be a musician.]
cannibal: a person who eats other people
(Spanish) monk: religious men who sought to bring the light of their faith to people while caring for their needs (education, medicine, etc)
*controversy: a serious argument or disagreement because many people have strong yet different opinions on the subject
*heritage: traditional customs or values (often related to something shared, such as ethnicity or a family’s history)
to cancel: to end or stop sth (e.g., a computer command, a meeting, a plan of action). “Sorry, but I must cancel today’s lunch appointment.” “Press the ‘cancel’ button on your computer and the program should stop.”
*to cancel sb; cancel culture: public shaming or intolerance; to ‘cancel’ support for a company, friend, purpose, etc., because they did something you think they should be ashamed of
*indigenous: native; not brought from somewhere else

Our previous lesson showed that Italian Christopher Columbus dared to sail west, trying to reach Asia in 1492. His accidental discovery of Central America made the world smaller, bringing him great honor. But in the late 1900s, Columbus was blamed for bringing European disease and other evils upon native populations, and Columbus Day became “Indigenous People’s Day” in many parts of the US.

Columbus statue in Miami, vandalized by protesters

Christopher Columbus was imperfect, like all of us. He was a skillful navigator but didn’t control his crew well; he completed four dangerous voyages but was mistaken that he had reached the Indies. Columbus was also a flawed colonial governor. After he returned to Spain, the crew he left behind disobeyed his orders, raped and enslaved the natives, consequently introducing sexually-transmitted syphilis to Europe. On later voyages, Columbus is also connected with cruelty. And tragically, European diseases, lust for gold, and the vices of colonization decimated the native population. A common protest on Indigenous People’s Day is that “This Land Was Stolen, Not Discovered.”

Yet history is complicated, with plenty of blame to go around. China’s vast Mongol Dynasty (though ruthless earlier) had produced safe trade across the Silk Road, but in Columbus’ time Islamic jihad brought widespread bloodshed between China and Europe, as well as in Spain and northern Africa; dangerous trade routes prompted Columbus to seek a western route. Meanwhile, (quoting Stars and Stripes) “cruel behavior was not new in the Americas. The Aztecs and Mayans of Mexico practiced human sacrifice and held slaves. The Caribe Indians in the Caribbean islands were cannibals.” Many indigenous tribes were fierce warriors, both before and after the Europeans arrived.

The Europeans did not intend to introduce deadly diseases in the Americas, any more than native Americans intended to unleash the danger of tobacco upon the rest of the world. At the same time, colonization (in spite of great abuses) brought life-saving foods like the potato to Europe, while Europeans brought the horse and other benefits to the Americas. And few would say that cannibals were better off before Spanish monks brought teachings of God’s love and human worth.

The Columbus/Indigenous People’s Day controversy helps us remember that history is filled with flawed people and mistakes that flow from greed and power. But to judge the people of the past by today’s standards would mean ignoring complicated realities.

Yes, let’s celebrate “Indigenous People’s Day” and learn from each other’s heritage! Let’s also celebrate “Explorers’ Day,” honoring the captains, pilots, astronauts, scientists, and others who bravely pull the world forward. Instead of “canceling” past heroes, let us learn from those who lived before us, forgiving them as we hope to be forgiven, and inspired by them to undertake risks for a better tomorrow.

Discussion: (are there any sentences you want to ask your teacher about?)

If a friend asked you what this “controversy” is about, how would you explain it in a simple way?
If Christopher Columbus had never been born, do you think that European people would never have moved to the Americas?
Should Columbus be blamed for the bad things that decimated native Americans? Why or why not?
How did colonization help, and how did it hurt the world?
The article says that history is filled with flawed people, and that many world problems flow from greed and power. Do you agree or disagree? Explain.
Complete this sentence: History is also filled with _____ people, who help the world move forward by _____.
In your opinion, why do some people fill the world with “good,” while some spread “evil”? Where do “good/evil” come from?
What are the dangers of “cancel culture” and what does the author suggest that we do instead?

If you still have time, choose one of Columbus’ quotes and explain why you chose that one.

Quotes from Christopher Columbus:

~ “I am a most noteworthy sinner, but I have cried out to the Lord for grace and mercy, and they have covered me completely.”
~ “Weep for me, whoever has charity, truth and justice! I did not come on this voyage for gain, honor or wealth, that is certain.”
~ “By prevailing over all obstacles and distractions, one may unfailingly arrive at his chosen goal or destination.”
~ “Praise be to our eternal God, our Lord, who gives to all those who walk in His ways victory over all things which seem impossible”

=====================Lower English level=====================

Understanding Columbus Day, part 2(L)

Vocabulary: sth = something; sb = somebody. *=key vocabulary

*accidental: not on purpose; in an unexpected way.
*honor: the respect that you, your country (etc) receives from others who are proud of you or your achievements (verb: to give this respect)
*indigenous: native; not brought from somewhere else
colony: an area under the political control of a more powerful country, usually far away. [The USA’s 13 original states had formerly been British colonies in North America.]
colonial/colonization: colonial connects a noun to a colony (colonial governor/trade/war/resources/etc); colonization is the overall practice of making someplace into a colony
*complicated: complex; difficult to understand because it involves many related parts
to prompt: to make sb decide to do sth [My parents prompted me to study law, but I wanted to be a musician.]
cannibal: a person who eats other people
*controversy: a serious argument or disagreement because many people have strong yet different opinions on the subject
*heritage: traditional customs or values (often related to something shared, such as ethnicity or a family’s history)
*to cancel sb; cancel culture: public shaming or intolerance; to ‘cancel’ (to end or stop sth) support for a company, friend, purpose, etc., because they did something you think they should be ashamed of

In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed west, trying to reach Asia. His accidental discovery of Central America made the world smaller, bringing him great honor. But in the late 1900s, Columbus was blamed for bringing disease and other evils from Europe, and Columbus Day became “Indigenous People’s Day” in many parts of the US.

Christopher Columbus was imperfect. He was a skillful navigator but didn’t control his crew well, and as governor he was associated with cruelty. After he returned to Spain, his crew raped and enslaved the natives, consequently introducing sexually-transmitted syphilis to Europe. And tragically, European diseases, lust for gold, and the evils of colonization killed countless native Americans. A common protest on Indigenous People’s Day is that “This Land Was Stolen, Not Discovered.”

Yet history is complicated. China’s vast Mongol Dynasty had produced safe trade, but in Columbus’ time Islamic wars brought widespread bloodshed between China and Europe, as well as in Spain and northern Africa; dangerous trade routes prompted Columbus to seek a western route. Meanwhile, the native Aztecs and Mayans of Mexico practiced human sacrifice and held slaves. Other indigenous tribes were cannibals, and/or fierce warriors.

Neither Europeans nor native Americans intended to spread deadly diseases/cancers around the world. At the same time, colonization (in spite of great abuses) brought life-saving foods like potatoes to the world, while benefits like horses and medicines flowed to the Americas.

Yes, let’s celebrate Indigenous People’s Day and learn from each other’s heritage! Let’s also celebrate “Explorers’ Day,” honoring the captains, astronauts, scientists, and others who bravely pull the world forward. Instead of “canceling” past heroes, let us learn from those who lived before us, forgiving them as we hope to be forgiven, and inspired by them to undertake risks for a better tomorrow.

Discussion: (are there any sentences you want to ask your teacher about?)

Content questions:
1. When did “Columbus Day” become “Indigenous People’s Day” in parts of the US?
2. What did people blame Columbus for, that started this controversy?
3. What prompted Columbus to look for a new, western trade route?
4. What tragic things killed countless native Americans?
5. What terrible things did some indigenous tribes do before Columbus arrived?
6. The author says we should celebrate both Indigenous People’s Day and (what?) Day?
If a friend asked you what this “controversy” is about, how would you explain it in a simple way?
If Christopher Columbus had never been born, do you think that European people would never have moved to the Americas? Why or why not?
The article says that history is filled with flawed people, and that many world problems flow from greed and power. Do you agree or disagree? Explain.
Complete this sentence: History is also filled with _____ people, who help the world move forward by _____.
What are the dangers of “cancel culture” and what does the author suggest that we do instead?

Sources include:

EFLsuccess.com; ©Michael Krigline, all rights reserved. This resource was created for our students under my understanding of “fair use” for educational resources. As far as I am concerned, people are allowed to print/copy it for personal or classroom use. See our Website Standards and Use Policy.

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