Everyone learned in school about what a hero Christopher Columbus was when he discovered America. Similar to many significant discoveries and innovations, Columbus discovered the Americas by accident, setting sail to find a passage to Asia by sailing west.

However, Columbus never even set foot on a North American coast. He landed first in the Bahamas, next in the Caribbean islands and later landed even on the coast of Venezuela. In fact Leif Erikson is the first known European to discover continental North America, four centuries before Columbus did in 1492, according to history.com. 

Erikson should be credited more widely for the discovery of continental North America. In fact some people celebrate Erickson on Oct. 9 instead of Columbus. Leif Erikson Day is an observance and not a public federal holiday in contrast to Columbus Day. Erickson also did not terrorize Native Americans, which is also a good reason to honor him with a holiday instead of Columbus. Columbus Day is considered a federal holiday but in some states including Alaska, Arizona, California and Montana renamed Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

Our country has thousands of other people we could honor with for a holiday and Columbus does not make the list. Despite paving the way for exploration into the North American continent, Columbus didn’t do much good.

On the first day he set foot in the New World, he ordered six of the native people to be seized so they could become his servants. That was just the beginning of the ruthless and brutal treatment of Native Americans. Columbus displaced and enslaved thousands of Taino people, the indigenous people of Caribbean and Florida, and sent them to Spain where they were sold. After Columbus left 60 years later, only a couple hundred Taino people remained of the 250,000 originally on the island, according to history.com. To send a message to other native protesters, Columbus ordered the bodies of the dismembered natives to be paraded around like a trophy.

Instead of promoting a man who helped push the indigenous people toward genocide we should learn about the oppressive and violent actions Columbus put on the Native Americans.  Indigenous People’s Day helps bring light to the suffering that was inflicted on the Native Americans and brings awareness to that part of history instead of glorifying Columbus.

In contrast, celebrating Erickson in place of Columbus would allow the truth to be taught early in schools across the country. Recognizing the man who discovered the North American continent while also learning about Columbus and why he should not be glorified as a hero will allow proper education in primary school. Being taught history through the lens of those who previously lived on this continent early in life allows deeper understanding and awareness later in life.