Posted on 10/06/2008 1:10:34 PM PDT by CE2949BB
Columbus Day Celebrates Western Civilization
On October 12, 1492, Christopher Columbus discovered the New World, opening a sea route to vast uncharted territories that awaited the spread of Western civilization. Centuries later, the ensuing cultural migration culminated in the birth and explosive growth of the greatest nation in history: the United States of America.
It is fitting that we have set aside a day to honor the Great Explorer. On one level, Columbus Day honors the man himself for his many virtues. Columbus was a man of independent mind, who steadfastly pursued his bold plan for a westward voyage to the Indies despite powerful opposition--a man of courage, who set sail upon a trackless ocean with no assurance that he would ever reach land--a man of pride, who sought recognition and reward for his achievements.
We need not evade or excuse Columbus's flaws--his religious zealotry, his enslavement and oppression of natives--to recognize that he made history by finding new territory for a civilization that would soon show mankind how to overcome the age-old scourges of slavery, war, and forced religious conversion.
Thus, the deeper meaning of Columbus Day is to celebrate the rational core of Western civilization, which flourished in the New World like a pot-bound plant liberated from its confining shell, demonstrating to the world what greatness is possible to man at his best.
On Columbus Day, we celebrate the civilization whose philosophers and mathematicians, men such as Aristotle, Archimedes, and Euclid, displaced otherworldly mysticism by discovering the laws of logic and mathematical relationships, demonstrating to mankind that reality is a single realm accessible to human understanding.
On Columbus Day, we celebrate the civilization whose scientists, men such as Galileo, Newton, Darwin, and Einstein, banished primitive superstitions by discovering natural laws through the scientific method, demonstrating to mankind that the universe is both knowable and predictable.
On Columbus Day, we celebrate the civilization whose political geniuses, men such as John Locke and the Founding Fathers, defined the principles by which bloody tribal warfare, religious strife, and, ultimately, slavery could be eradicated by constitutional republics devoted to protecting life, liberty, property, and the selfish pursuit of individual happiness.
On Columbus Day, we celebrate the civilization whose entrepreneurs, men such as Rockefeller, Ford, and Gates, transformed an inhospitable wilderness populated by frightened savages into a wealthy nation of self-confident producers served by highways, power plants, computers, and thousands of other life-enhancing products.
On Columbus Day, in sum, we celebrate Western civilization as history's greatest cultural achievement. What better reason could there be for a holiday?
Thomas A. Bowden, author of The Enemies of Christopher Columbus, is an analyst at the Ayn Rand Institute. The Institute promotes Objectivism, the philosophy of Ayn Rand--author of Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead.
For more articles by Thomas Bowden, and his bio, click here.
Wonder if the fired CU professor Churchill will again be protesting in Denver at the Columbus Day celebrations? LOL ... or maybe just selling lattes in the nearby coffee shop.
Columbus Day should be a celebration of the expansion of western civilization.
Sorry about the American Indians, but that is another story.
We aren’t celebrating what happened to them, but the expansion of the world.
The members of the Wannabe Tribe should consider themselves lucky that I am not in charge, as we would be celebrating “Cortes Day.”
“Wonder if the fired CU professor Churchill will again be protesting in Denver at the Columbus Day celebrations?”
Usually this is a BIG protest day in Denver. Haven’t heard anything yet. Maybe they are all depressed after their lousy turnout for the DNC protests.
LOL
However, Columbus Day was instituted to honor Italians. (since Columbus was Italian)
Please notice what happens in your town. Is there a Columbus Day parade? If so, do the top politicians go to it?
Seems to me that the politicians are boycotting it, and the media is deliberately refusing to announce it, so that no one goes, and they’ll be able to say that there’s no interest, so let’s cancel it.
"Columbus Day" was used by Italian Americans to prove that they too "contributed" to what would eventually become the United States. This is a dumb reason to have a holiday, despite being half-Italian.
If anything, we should be getting federal holidays for Pulaski and Kosciusko, to say nothing of Henry Hudson.
Personally I have to celebrate the destruction of the evil cannibal Aztec empire. Not that I celebrate the destruction of all the native tribes, but some of them certainly got what they deserved. Many are unaware that Cortez was only able to destroy the Aztecs because of the help of the many native tribes which the Aztecs had enslaved. I consider Cortez a great hero. I’ll never understand the attitude of Mexicans toward Cortez. He’s the father of the Mexican race and they hate him. Mexico has their own version of Pocahontas named Malinche. She was Cortes’ native wife and the mother of the Mexican race. Mexicans do not celebrate her like we do Pocahontas though, instead they consider her a race-traitor. Her name has become a synonym for “traitor.”
Besides, who discovered the Americas? A black leader said an AFRICAN discovered it? A Muslim said they did...(I guess they wanted to blow up the Mayan Pyramids), the Welsh said they did and the Chinese said they did. Who knows, but I know the Americas wasn't paradise!!
Yes.
The Aztecs were bloodthirsty killers who lived in terror of the unknown and only fetl blood sacrifices and cannibalism would keep awayu the day of destruction. It didn’t work.
I think a lot of the anti-Spanish feeling is because of what happened AFTER the Aztecs were destroyed. Cortez was certainly no saint, even by European standards.
The French gave the native Americans the best brake, but ruined it by using them as pawns in the wars with the English and Americans.
An Obama victory will have Jesse Jackson back out on the streets again chanting “Hey Hey Ho Ho, Western Civilization’s got to go” (Yes he did do that)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8QcpdUtxNQ
How about Obama openly campaigning for his communist cousin Odinga who signed a pact with Muslims to enact Sharia Law if elected and started riots when he lost. Obama campaigned for an openly Anti-American candidate in a foreign country in 2006.
Yes, we learned in Spanish lit class that Malinche was a turncoat who helped the conquistadors understand and conquer the native culture.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.