INTRODUCTION:
Welcome! You are about to embark on a journey that will free your mind from the toxicity of a one-sided environment.
We will give you thought-provoking opinions, viewpoints, comments, insights, and perspectives from various walks of life and ages.
Our aim is not only to show different viewpoints but also to spark curiosity. We strive to inspire deeper discussions that can enrich your understanding of the topics at hand in hopes that it will encourage critical thinking
Thank you for joining the journey and freeing your mind.
Now, let’s get into it.
Topic: Slavery through the ages.
There have been many talks through the years about slavery, mostly focusing on African Americans. But, what is not mentioned is the slavery of Native Americans and White children.
With this country’s beginnings, many good things occurred and many bad things as well. Christopher Columbus completed his journey across the Atlantic Ocean on October 12, 1492. He thought he landed in the “New World.” It was actually an island he named San Salvador. This island is now part of the Bahamas.
But now, immense controversy has arisen over the Columbus holiday. There are discussions about the Age of Exploration, the transformations that occurred, and the injustices done to Native Americans/Indigenous people.
Many countries across the world celebrate Columbus Day. It is typically a celebration of Italian/Italian-American cultural heritage. But, it goes beyond this. “The origins of Columbus Day are closely tied to the lynching of Italian Americans in New Orleans in 1891.” (snippets from an AI-generated question).
On March 14, 1891, as a mob of thousands stormed the Orleans Parish Prison, they murdered 11 Italian immigrants. These individuals were either acquitted or falsely implicated in the murder of New Orleans Police Chief David Hennessy. This event triggered intense anti-Italian sentiment and a diplomatic crisis between the U.S. and Italy. To ease tensions, President Benjamin Harrison took action. He wanted to gain favor with Italian Americans. He declared Columbus Day as a one-day national celebration. (snippets generated from an AI question then rearranged for clarity by me, the narrator).
Today many states are changing Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day or Native American Day. But why step on one culture to favor another? Why not have a separate day for the Indigenous people’s culture?
But what exactly happened? What did Columbus do back in the 1400s to the Natives? Has anyone thought of this? Or have you just listened to what has been taught through the years? We do know that the Native people were met with violence, brutality, forced labor, and sold to Spain as slaves. So what did the Natives do? Why, they revolted, of course. Then all hell broke loose and sadly, Columbus killed many Natives in response.
Many people think that diseases originated in this country. They did not. Native Americans were of the nomad type. They moved from place to place to not take more than they needed then moved along again. They were clean people and bathed often. They knew of no diseases until the arrival of Europeans who brought with them, smallpox, measles, and influenza.
With all of this said, did you know about the Italians and the lynching? What about Columbus? Did you know how diseases got started in this country? What are your thoughts now about Columbus Day? Do you think that Columbus Day should be taken away in favor of Indigenous people? Or should they have their own separate day?
Time to think for yourself.
More on this topic to come.
FREE RANGE THINKER 