10th Grade Humanities
Name: _________________________________
T-Chart: Columbus Day vs. Native Peoples Day INSTRUCTIONS: Use Zinn, “Columbus and the Indians” and Bowden, “Columbus Day Celebrates Western Culture” to complete the following chart. BE SURE TO CITE THE SOURCE FOR EACH ARGUMENT. Zinn: Arguments AGAINST Columbus Day Bowden: Arguments FOR Columbus Day or FOR Native Peoples Day “Columbus discovered the New World, “They would make fine servants…with fifty opening a sea route to vast uncharted men we could subjugate them and make territories that awaited the spread of them do what we want.” civilization.” “They were overwhelmed and mistreated and “Columbus is a hero for spreading rational they died by the thousands. By 1550 only values.” five hundred Indians remained. A century later, no Arawaks were left.” “On Columbus Day we celebrate the civilization whose scientists banished primitive “Columbus claimed that he had seen a light superstitions by discovering natural laws the evening before. He got the award.” through the scientific method.” “As soon as he arrived…he seized some “On Columbus Day we celebrate the Arawaks by force so he could get civilization whose entrepreneurs transformed information from them…Where is the gold?” an inhospitable wilderness populated by frightened savages into a wealthy nation of “Columbus said he would make another self-confident producers, served by highways, voyage. This time he would come back to power plants, computers, and thousands of Spain with as much gold as they other life-enhancing products.” needed…and as many slaves as they ask.” “On Columbus Day we celebrate the civilzation whose political geniuses…defined the principles by which bloody tribal warfare, religious strife, and, ultimately, slavery, could be eradicated by constitutional republics devoted too protecting life, liberty, property, and the selfish pursuit of individual happiness.” “Columbus found a new territory for a civilization that would soon show mankind how to overcome the age-old scourges of slavery, war, and forced religious conversion.”
“Arawaks began to commit mass suicide.”