http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il5hwpdJMcg

Interesting.

Btw, my child had school on Columbus Day.

mine did too

I saw in the news can't remember where it was but some grade schoolers put Columbus on trial and convicted him.

Might as well ban all holidays. I can't think of one that doesn't have some issues.

never understood why we celebrate Columbus day. He landed in the Bahamas didn't he?

Because it gives us Feds another day off DUH!
But I payed for it today

mom was postal too the kids here were off school...but it was used as an in service day

In her book "The Fall of Columbus," Varela uses the testimony from 23 witnesses contained in the document to show that as governor of Hispaniola, Columbus regularly used torture to maintain order on the island. "It was far more brutal than we had known," says Varela. "It was a frontier society, with terrible misery and injustice."

Columbus was also a strong supporter of slavery, refusing to baptize the indigenous people of Hispaniola so that he could enslave them (Spanish law prohibited the enslavement of Christians), and auctioning Spaniards into slavery, including a young boy caught stealing, as punishment. Varela also notes that Columbus was "surprisingly greedy. He was always tremendously worried about making money."

http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1017/p05s01-woeu.html

I have to wonder if this ad is only being run in the United States?

We are not the only country that has established and continue to recognize Columbus Day.
Venezuela, Costa Rica, Uruguay, the Bahamas, Spain and in many countries its called Dia de la Raza.

I am certainly not opposed to adding a celebratory month to explore the history of indigenous people or any of the diverse histories which have followed new comers to this land of diversity – like Black History month, Women’s History, American Indian Heritage, Asian Pacific American, Hispanic American Heritage, months and the like. Those short clips on TV or in the paper or magazines have encouraged millions to dig deeper, to find out more and they give people back some self-respect and inform others and serve to support accuracy in our banks of historical data.

While I take issue with some of the national holidays we celebrate – especially Columbus Day, I also have an issue with the accuracy of the advertisement. Its implications are propaganda meant to appeal to emotions and not to historicity.

In truth Columbus was as unethical as they claim, but no more so than thousands of others during his life and after it. His hand did not create slavery nor did he in any way have any more to do with the slave trade than thousands of others. He was not the first to “discover” the Americas and obviously many countries saw him as some kind of liberator as they too honor his “discovery” of them.

So while I agree with the question of why we maintain this tradition of Columbus Day, I do not agree with the reasoning nor with substituting another celebratory day for indigenous Americans.

I would much rather see something in place with more value and more specific than just another day of parades, high priced trinkets and food booths, and people who still know nothing about the history and heritage of the diverse people who call America their home.

I have learned a great deal from Black History Month, from Women’s History Month and I have even taken that curiosity into further research. Isn’t that what the ad should be about and not about another frivolous and meaningless traditional date?

I didn't know that.

I like Columbus, but I like Vespucci a little better.