Shannon Fox History~Columbus Day October 10, 2011 Columbus Day is the celebration of the day Christopher Columbus supposedly discovered America.
The history of Columbus’s discovery began in England during the Crusades. The Crusades were a series of holy wars ,( religious campaigns) with the objective to restore Christian control to the Muslim occupied Jerusalem. As the battles took place all over Europe, England began to see the world. During the fourteenth century Muslims built empires of trade, and as Europeans became to push the Muslims back they became entitled to their riches which included exotic spices, and treasures from China.
When the Crusades came to a close, so did Europe’s exposure to the riches. After the Crusades, every nation wanted to trade with China. When it came to trading with outside nations, China had certain rules the outside nation had to follow, such as bowing to the ruling Empire which European traders refused to do. As such, China only trade with select empires, such as the Muslim Empire.
During the fourteenth century, Chinese items were in great demand giving places like the Muslim empire the power to place a variety of prices for there items.That’s where Columbus came in; who believed to have a direct trade route to China by sailing east. Backed by the King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella Columbus set sail East through the pacific. As Columbus continued sailing he eventually came across the island of Hispaniola on October 12, 1492. Columbus day is celebrated only in the United States.
In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed Columbus Day a national holiday, largely as a result of intense lobbying by the Knights of Columbus, an influential Catholic fraternal benefits organization.Originally observed every October 12, it was fixed to the second Monday in October in 1971. Although I do not believe the United States should celebrate Columbus day as the discovery of America, ( as it was already civilly occupied) I do believe we should celebrate Columbus Day as an important day that it resulted in the intertwining of Europe with the Americas, resulting in the first permanent European colonies in the New World.
~Shannon Fox
