Sure, Columbus Day is
great. Everyone knows that he
discovered America, and it's not like we're observing this holiday in memory of a
murderer, a
rapist, a man who practically caused the complete wipe out of a race of peoples.
For example, before Columbus's 1493 voyage even reached its destination, Columbus had already granted his lieutenants native women to rape upon arrival. Sex slaves were common "property" for Spaniards living in Haiti. Columbus wrote the following to a friend, in 1500:
A hundred castellanoes are as easily obtained for a woman as for a farm, and it is very general and there are plenty of dealers who go about looking for girls; those from nine to ten are now in demand.
In addition to the sexual cruelty employed by Columbus, the slavery in Haiti was terrible. Enslaved Haitians died quickly, and they were then replaced by Indians from the Bahamas. By 1516, a Spanish historian, Peter Martyr, reported that the Bahamas were "deserted," and that "a ship without a compass, chart, or guide, but only following the trail of dead Indians who had been thrown from the ships could find its way from the Bahamas to Hispanola."
Granted, Columbus did have some positive effects on the United States (however small). But then again, celebrating Columbus Day is like celebrating Cruel Massa Day because slavery helped to boost the economy during the 18th and 19th centuries.
In ending, while I doubt many people will go to work/give up their day off in protest of this holiday, I would suggest that you take this day in remembrance of those who died at the hand of settlers such as Columbus, and take the time to teach your children, your family, your friends, your teachers to see through their blind idealism.
The world is a scary place.