Monday, October 8th is Columbus Day!
Name: ________________________________________________ Block: __________
Columbus Day: The Controversy
Monday is Columbus Day! Imagine that the article below appeared in your local newspaper. Read the title
and the article carefully to learn more about this holiday (yes, we do have school). Based on this article, the
mayor of Charlotte has decided to propose a change in the title of the holiday. The mayor has proposed the
holiday be renamed “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” and will focus on the heritages of the people who existed
before Columbus’ arrival in 1492. You are asked to write a letter to the mayor stating your opinion of the
change in the name and purpose of the holiday.
Christopher Columbus: American Hero?
In 1992, the Columbian quincentennial, the 500th anniversary of Columbus's voyage to
North America, spawned a national criticism of Christopher Columbus. For centuries, Columbus had
been hailed as a brave explorer whose daring, determination, and navigational knowledge led to the
"discovery" of America. After the criticism began in earnest, he became known as "a brutal person
and an incompetent navigator who ushered in centuries of death and oppression for those who lived
on this continent before his arrival."
The controversy continues today.
In 1998, Honduran Indians held a mock trial, in which Columbus was found guilty of the
charges of "genocide and robbery resulting from the 1492 beginnings of the colonization of the
Americas." And in Examining the Reputation of Christopher Columbus, an article currently available at the
Taino Inter-Tribal Council Web site, anthropologist Jack Weatherford says, "The United States
honors only two men with federal holidays bearing their names. In January, we commemorate the
birth of Martin Luther King, Jr., who struggled to lift the blinders of racial prejudice and to cut the
remaining bonds of slavery in America. In October, we honor Christopher Columbus, who opened
the Atlantic slave trade and launched one of the greatest waves of genocide* known in history."
*genocide=killing off of a particular race or group of people. In this case, the Native Americans
Directions for Writing
Write a persuasive letter to the mayor arguing for or against the proposition that Columbus Day be changed
to Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Your letter should convince the mayor that you have carefully considered the
consequences of this proposition and should include reasons, facts, examples and other evidence that
supports your argument.
It should be at least one page in length and be on a separate sheet of paper, single spaced. It needs to include
evidence cited from the documents.
Use the information above and on the back to help formulate and support your opinion. ANNOTATE the
documents by highlighting and underlining important ideas you might use in your letter.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Read and Annotate the documents
Complete Pros/Cons chart to organize the information and your opinion
Draft a letter
Edit the letter
Finalize a complete letter to the Mayor of Charlotte
The Mayor of Charlotte is Anthony Foxx
Monday, October 8th is Columbus Day!
DOCUMENTS:
“Columbus' legacy is a mixed one. He has been credited for opening up the Americas to European
colonization as well as blamed for the destruction of the native peoples of the islands he explored. On the
one hand, he failed to find that what he set out for - a new route to Asia and the riches it promised. However,
in what is known as the Columbian Exchange, his expeditions set in motion the wide-spread transfer of
people, plants, animals, diseases, and cultures that greatly affected nearly every society on the planet.
The horse from Europe allowed Native American tribes in the Great Plains of North America to shift from a
nomadic to a hunting lifestyle. Foods from the Americas such as potatoes, tomatoes and corn became staples
of Europeans and helped increase their populations. Wheat from Europe and the Old World fast became a
main food source for people in the Americas. Coffee from Africa and sugar cane from Asia became major
cash crops for Latin American countries.
The Exchange also brought new diseases to both hemispheres, thought the effects were greatest in the
Americas. Small pox from the Old World decimated millions of the Native American population to mere
fractions of their original numbers. This more than any other factor made for European domination of the
Americas. The overwhelming benefits of the Exchange went to the Europeans initially and eventually to the
rest of the world. The Americas were forever altered and the once vibrant and rich cultures of the Native
American civilizations were not only changed, but lost, denying the world any complete understanding of
their existence.” –Biography.com
“ I should be judged as a captain who went from Spain to the Indies to conquer a people numerous and warlike, whose
manners and religion are very different from ours, who live in mountains without fixed settlements, and where by divine
will I have placed under the sovereignty of the King and Queen, an Other World, [so that] Spain, which had been poor,
is become the richest of countries."
-- Christopher Columbus, 1500 letter
HINT Translate this:
"Christopher Columbus not only opened the door to a New World, but also set an example for us all by showing what
monumental feats can be accomplished through perseverance and faith."
--George H.W. Bush, 1989 speech
“As I saw that [the Natives] were very friendly to us, and perceived that they could be much more easily
converted to [the Europeans’} holy faith by gentle means than by force, I presented them with some red caps, and
strings of beads to wear upon the neck, and many other trifles of small value, [and] they were much delighted, and
became wonderfully attached to us.
Afterwards they came swimming to the boats, bringing parrots, balls of cotton thread, javelins, and many other
things which they exchanged for articles we gave them, such as glass beads, and hawks bells; which trade was carried on
with the utmost good will. But they seemed on the whole to me, to be a very poor people. They all go completely naked,
even the women. All whom I saw were young, not above thirty years of age, well made, with fine shapes and faces; their
hair short, and coarse like that of a horse's tail…Weapons they have none, nor are acquainted with them, for I showed
them swords which they grasped by the blades, and cut themselves through ignorance.”
-Journal Entry of the first interactions with Indigenous Americans by the crew of Christopher Columbus
“So Columbus said, somebody show me the sunset and somebody did and he set sail for it,
And he discovered America and they put him in jail for it,
And the fetters* gave him welts,
And they named America after somebody else.” –Ogden Nash, American poet
*chains
Monday, October 8th is Columbus Day!
Pros
(For changing Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day)
Cons
(Against changing Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day)
Use the above graphic organizer to organize ideas and information using your own opinions and the
documents above.
Mr. Mikac will use the
following rubric to grade
your letter.
Expectation
Documents and Pro/Cons
(20)
Support Using Citations
Documents
(20)
Clarity of Argument
(20)
Writing Tools
(20)
Quality of Writing/Organization
(15)
Assignment Requirements
(5)
A
B
Documents are
annotated with notes
in the margins and
the Pro Con chart is
completed with both
information from the
documents and ideas
from the student
Some of the
documents are
annotated and the Pro
Con chart is
completed some
ideas
Quotes the
documents in support
of the argument in a
clear and strong way
Argument is logical,
provides good
support, and is stated
clearly
Includes introduction,
conclusion and thesis
statement. Academic,
polite writing
Writing is clear and
informative. Few or
no mistakes.
Thoughtfully
organized.
Meets all
requirements. (1
page, follows
directions)
C
SCORE
out of
100
points
D or F
Some of the
documents are
annotated OR some
of the Pro Con chart
is completed
Documents are not
annotated. Pro/Con
chart is not
completed
Quotes the
documents in a
mostly unrelated way
Does not attempt to
quote the documents
Argument is not very
logical, does not have
strong support, or is
not stated clearly
Argument is illogical,
unclear, and lacks
support
Missing either an
introduction,
conclusion or thesis.
Does not successfully
apply the writing
tools
Writing is mostly
clear and informative.
Some mistakes.
Logically organized.
Writing is somewhat
clear and informative.
Many mistakes.
Weak organization.
Writing is unclear.
Lacks information.
Many distracting
mistakes. No org.
Meets most
requirements.
(1 page, follows
directions)
Meets some
requirements.
(1 page, follows
directions)
Fails to meet
requirements.
(1 page, follows
directions)
Quotes the
documents in a way
somewhat related to
the stance being
taken
Argument is
somewhat logical,
provides good
support but is not
stated clearly
Includes introduction,
conclusion and thesis
statement. Is not
academic or polite
Monday, October 8th is Columbus Day!
Draft Space
Monday, October 8th is Columbus Day!