Repeal Columbus Day as a National Holiday

As much as I enjoy having Columbus Day as a day off from school, after reading up on who Christopher Columbus really was it really shocked at how we celebrate and take off the time in our day to celebrate such a terrible man who should be listed among some of the worst historical figures of time. The Arawaks, Lucayans, and Tainos were friendly people who received Columbus and his people well. Columbus and his people then went on to exploit these generous Natives, put them to work in the gold mines until they died of exhaustion. Slaves who didn't fulfill their quota of gold had their limbs cut off and tied around their neck. Those who resisted lost either their nose or ear. To those who attempted to escape they were hunted with dogs, and mutilated or burned alive. Arawak babies were sometimes used as dog food, and girls as young as 9 were sold as sex slaves. At one point there was a mass suicide of over 100 Arawaks, due to their unbearable lives under Columbus and his men. Within 50 years of Columbus’ arrival on Hispaniola, almost every one of the 3 million Natives on the island were gone. It is heartbreaking to see that such peaceful, welcoming, and friendly people were mistreated as such by the greed of a man and his country. And yet, even when Columbus was replaced by Francisco de Bobadilla, arrested him and his brothers, and sent them back to Spain to stand trial for their crimes, the King and Queen pardoned them due to their greed and satisfaction over the gold they received. It's sad to see that such a great and wonderful country that America is celebrates such a horrible person and honors him with a whole national holiday to his name.