Why I stand with Christopher Columbus (Opinion)

As we’ve seen over the past week, many protests that started as a public outcry against the officers involved in the death of George Floyd rapidly devolved into anti-cop, anti-American, destructive riots. For some reason, Christopher Columbus is often the target of angry people who clearly skipped history classes when they were in school.

Columbus is one of the great historical figures responsible for changing the world for the better. Every year around Columbus Day, I task myself with writing an article to explain his accomplishments in order to educate people and hopefully preserve the appropriate holiday and monuments dedicated to what he represents for Italian Americans and Americans in general. Here are the links to my posts over the past few years with pull quotes:

Columbus Day has fallen victim to political correctness, and it's time we reclaim it. Put Christopher Columbus in the context of his day, consider the risks he faced and the reality of the new world he encountered, and then celebrate what it means for western civilization today. - Bill Spadea

Read the above article HERE.

It’s also important to understand that Columbus’ men were wiped out from the first voyage in 1492 as Columbus discovered on his return trip in 1493.

It’s disingenuous and wrong to teach the next generation anything but that actual truth of the events that took place 500 years ago.  Beyond the understanding of the balance between civilization and savagery, it’s critical to place the events in historical context instead of judging the actions on both sides in the context of our civilized and relatively peaceful societal norms.

In 1937 Columbus Day was formally recognized as a federal holiday paving the way for the first ‘diverse’ herpo of history to be recognized.,  Again, in the context of even that time, the KKK was aggressively opposed as Columbus was a Catholic and therefore no difference that the Jews and African Americans so hated by the Klan. - Bill Spadea

Read the above article HERE.

There's no such thing as "perfect history," and you can't sanitize events like Columbus Day. But let's not be afraid to recognize the achievements of a great man and his crew. - Bill Spadea

Read the above article HERE.

Not only was Columbus a great man who, in the words of Marx, made capitalism possible, but his courage and determination led to the spread of Western Civilization, which forged the greatest nation on earth. In addition to his incredible historical accomplishments, he became a symbol for Italian Americans in this country to rally around after so many decades of discrimination and hardship adjusting to the new world, all detailed in articles I have written over the years about the day and what it means to those of us with Italian blood, Even me with only 17%, it's enough to fuel my fire against the PC mob! - Bill Spadea

Read the above article HERE.

The bottom line is that Columbus did not wipe out the indigenous population as critics claim. He did not pursue genocide against peaceful people. Actually quite the opposite. He made alliances with the indigenous Taino Indians and they fought side by side against the cannibals of the local Carib tribes. What's even more interesting is that it's clear that the claims of genocide seems to be largely based on the writings of Bishop Bartolome de las Casas who was a fierce advocate for indigenous tribes. He also had a reputation for exaggeration. His numbers feeding the genocide frenzy also don't compare with several census counts taken after Columbus departed. - Bill Spadea

Read the above article HERE.

Context matters when evaluating historical figures.

Don’t forget that the Ku Klux Klan opposed Columbus Day as a holiday.

It’s Columbus who championed the expansion of Western Civilization, you’re welcome!

Why you should celebrate.

If you’re gonna rename it…West Civilization Expansion Day is appropriate!

Bottom line. Thank you Christopher Columbus. Thank you for your service to civilization. Thank you for standing up to the detractors and nay-sayers of your day. Thank you for the courage to take on a voyage that most would never be able to handle. - Bill Spadea

Read the above article HERE.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Spadea. Any opinions expressed are Bill's own. Bill Spadea is on the air weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m., talkin’ Jersey, taking your calls at 1-800-283-1015.

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