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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 12, 1998)
Page 4 • Monday, October 12, 1998 Aggielife Hero or Villain? Focus of Columbus Day sparks debate BY MARIUM MOHIUDDIN The Battalion cc C >olumbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492.” This statement has been 'grounded in the minds of Americans since fourth grade. History dictates Christopher Columbus discovered America trying to prove the world was not flat by reaching India from the west. Today marks the 506th anniversary of the voyage, but it took over 400 years for Colum bus Day to became a national holiday. The holiday first emerged on October 12,1866, when Italians in New York came together out of pride to celebrate the landing of the Italian dis coverer. In 1937, Franklin Roosevelt proclaimed this day as Columbus Day and in 1971, President Richard Nixon declared the second Monday of October as a federal public holiday. Columbus whs born in Genoa, Italy, in 1451. He had little education and learned to read and write in his adulthood. As many Italian boys of the time did, Columbus went to sea and land ed in Portugal. In 1479, he married Dona Felipa and had a son, Diego, the following year. After reading about Asia, Columbus decid ed to sail to India believing the shortest dis tance would be to the west. With the support of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, Columbus set off with 90 men and landed in the Bahamas on October 12, 1492. Scott McConnell, director of communica tion for the Ayn Rand Institute, said Colum bus was a hero who brought enlightenment to the world. “This is a great holiday because it respects a great man,” he said. “He brought Western civilization, which is the best civilization to this land. Many people think he did more harm by coming, but they are not examining the sit uation of 1492. We cannot think from a 1892 or a 1992 perspective. We are at a point where we can look back with a more knowledgeable view of Columbus and the Indians.” However, there are opposing views to who Columbus was and what he brought to the Americas. Carolyn Sandoval, assistant coordinator of diversity education for the Department of Mul ticultural Services, said she cannot comment on the man, but he was the instrument in opening up the Americas to Europe. “I can’t say that I hate him,” she said. “But, I hate what he did and what his entrance into the Americas meant for the indigenous people of the country. “Columbus can be attributed to more Eu ropeans coming to this country. They tried to extinguish a rich culture that was already here. They brought slavery and warfare They tried to impose a new language, new traditions and new diseases to the indigenous people.” Dr. Henry Schmidt, assistant professor of Latin American history, said the two views to Columbus Day should be taken under consid eration to find the truth. “Both views to a degree are correct,” he said. “Columbus' arrival in the New World had both positive and negative aspects. But the truth lies between the positive and the nega tive. The historical events reach over all these. ” Celebrations of other national holidays are commonly found in New York, where a parade may be held. However, celebrating this day has come across scrutiny from many views. McConnell said this day should be cele brated because it marks the birth of the West ern civilization. “He didn’t bring TVs, but he did open up the Americas,” he said. “He brought the ideas of John Locke and Galileo here, and they were the ones who had the most impact on society. The ideas of the West are ideas about philoso phy and a great society. He was the first to come and to bring civilization.” Sandoval said the day should be recognized as a celebration of resistance. “It should be celebrated for the spirit of re sistance and surviving colonization, ” she said. “It should be celebrated for surviving the at tempts of extinction. “Some say the native Americans here were savage and vicious. This is an excuse used by many people to justify all the impositions on the indigenous people.” Schmidt said he understands the arrival of Columbus has had an effect on the society of Latin Americans. to dL int ci iane Ity Id t» liters - [The lee h - liden i ai: loo V agoi a uteres he*. Corrfc apla to “Five hundred years after the event, Latin Americans are still trying to overcome the land ing,” he said. “But, it has to be recognized that he brought the rich Euro-Iberian culture, which fused with the Indigenous and African culture to produce what we have today. “Columbus embodies not just the after- math of his landing but also reaches back into Mediterranean culture,” he said. "It is beyond whether he was good or bad for the New World.” McConnell said without Columbus, the Americas would not be in the state they are today. “I know many people do not hold similar views, and they do hate Columbus,” he said. "But they are not using the proper situation, and they are not using proper judgment. The Americas before Columbus were force, brutality and superstition.Tliffi logic and no principle. “This country is now the richest,ti and the freest. Ask anybody il the)! choose America over any other count: really think about it, would you rathe: Los Angeles or in the Aztec empire!' Sandoval said the country may re beeh the same if Columbus had noli here, but who is to know whattherea have been? “We would have had thiscountn out the landing of Columbus because were indigenous people already here,” she said. “It would not be ini! act state that it is today, butwhoisii] that we are better off?” GOLF TOURNAMENT 2-Person Scramble hosted by the College of Medicine Benefitting Health for All Clinic on Saturday, Oct. 17th, 1998. Entry fee is $ 50 per person. CrII Jennifer Chilek @ 822-5950 or Kevin Smith @ 823-4677 for n ■ < : I - I ■. . : I 1 i s 3.95 a olde y ho s rsyes aura sidera rketiio the liise rx rWe’ix uolde' that, renei= ent 1 ctiv i 1 an < ntes 1 pager airtime ‘Free Activation ‘Accessories ‘Calling Cards PrimeCo phones sold here Discount Paging System Now Hiring Part-Time Positions Schulman Theatres College Park 6 www.schulman-theatres.com Bcs online www.lockon.com 2080 E. 29th St., Bryan 775-2463 BOX OFFICE OPENS AT 12:30 Now Showing - Friday - Sunday Only □□ < R > WHAT DREAMS MAY COMEm (PG13) THERES SOMETHING / MARY [JQ (R) RUSH HOUR SB (PG13) ANTZ (PG) ANIGHTATTHE ROXBURY CD (R) $3.00 - children/seniors $5.00 - Adults BRAZOSTRADER . antiques & COLLECnum: Browse in our store for a fun shopping experience! • M - F 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. • Sat 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. We accept all major credit cards 210 West 26th St., Bryan (409) 775-2984 UCS Inc. seeks candidates for the following open positions at our College Station office: • Technician Assistant • Customer Service/Help Desk • PC Support • Inventory Control We offer $6.00 per hour to start and real world work experience with opportunity for full time after graduation. To apply, call our Personnel headquarters: UCS Inc. 1-800-883-3031 3833 So. Texas Avenue, Suite 201 Metro Centre Bryan, TX http://www.ucs-systems.com UCS hires non-tobacco users only E.O.E. For a semester, for a year, for a liletim THERE’S 1MO PLACE LIKE AUI The eiinc'iitiofi is Atnemn The mix is internatiom I 1 / he setting is Pan The advantage is yon ^ ^ AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF PARI \ . ‘ * i ',3.1» 4ll.n2.lll \ (tv V, >rA: 60 Fast 42nd Street, New York, NY KKll 7 • (212) 983»i|| www.aup.etln « admlssitwist" aup.edu * nyoltk e^aup.wlu F A & r R £ £ O £ L f O £ R Y Open Late! MON-WEDS. 11:00 AM-2:00 AM THURS-SAT. 11:00 AM-3:00 AM SUNDAY 11:00AM-1:00AM 76-GUM BY 764-8629 PlGGIE BUCKS BUFFET MONDAV - FRIDAY. 11:30 AM-3:00PM & 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM (INCLUDING SMALL SODA) U.S. citizens needed.: Want to study in a country outside YKTestem Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand ? Undergraduate Scholar ships up to $16,000 per academic year and Graduate Enhancement Fellowships up to $20,000 available through the National Security Education Program Informational Meeting Times Tuesday, October 13 - 12:00 pm Friday, October 16 - 11:30 am Monday, October 1 9 - 9:00 am Thrusday, October 22 - 10:30 am For more information, please contact: The Study Abroad Program Office Visit the NTSEP Webpage at: 161 Bizzell Hall West; (409)845-0544 nr mu'. He. orj^f nxep Lpst ansi Fo ouctiS! Wednesday, Oct. 14, 1998| MSC Flagroom llam-2pni Accepting cash and checks only Sponsored by MSC Hospitality Persons with disabilities please call 845-1515 to inform us of your II st notification three (3) working days prior special needs. We request notification three <3) working days prior to the event to enable us to assist you to the best of our abilities. 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