Brad Reed
October 11, 2021
Portrait of a man, said to be Christopher Columbus (MetMuseum)
Missouri Republican Senate candidate Eric Schmitt on Monday defended the legacy of Christopher Columbus with a historically illiterate rant that also took a subtle shot at scientists.
"In 1492 the 'consensus' among scientists was that the earth was flat," Schmitt wrote on Twitter. "Christopher Columbus challenged that notion and changed the world forever."
Multiple scholars, however, jumped in to point out that Schmitt has his history completely wrong.
"Nope, absolutely wrong. Any scholar of the Middle Ages knew the earth was round," wrote University of Pittsburgh professor of religion Brock Baher. "The myth that they believed it was flat came from 19th Century when anti-Catholic propagandists like John William Draper & Washington Irving who wanted to claim religion was in conflict thesis with science."
Thomas Lecaque, an associate professor of Medieval history at Grand View University, made similar points about Europeans' general knowledge of the Earth's shape at the end of the 15th century.
"In 1492, almost everyone in Europe knew that the earth was round, and were closer to the accurate size than Columbus was," he wrote. "Columbus followed an incorrect line of reasoning, based on bad exegesis, and only survived due to luck. No one thought the world was flat."
Rebecca Anne Goetz, an associate professor of history at New York University, pointed out that "knowledge of a spherical Earth was widely discussed as early as the 5th century BC" through translated writings of Greek philosopher Aristotle.
And Princeton historian Kevin Kruse delivered an even pithier reply to Schmitt by writing, "Congrats on never reading a book after the second grade."
GOP lawmakers introduce measure in support of Columbus Day
BY CRISTINA MARCOS - 10/11/21
A pair of House Republicans introduced a measure in support of the federally recognized Columbus Day holiday amid efforts largely on the left to promote Indigenous Peoples Day instead.
The resolution from GOP Reps. Andrew Garbarino (N.Y.) and Mark Amodei (Nev.) formally expresses support for recognition of the explorer Christopher Columbus and "his impact on the Italian-American community."
"Columbus Day honors not just the contributions and ingenuity of Christopher Columbus, but also of the generations of Italian Americans that followed. It is a day of great pride and celebration for the Italian American community," Garbarino tweeted on Monday.
Garbarino added in a statement that he is "committed to making sure it is preserved for future generations."
President Biden late last week became the first sitting U.S. president to issue a presidential proclamation marking Indigenous Peoples Day.
Proponents of Indigenous Peoples Day argue that there should be a holiday celebrating the historical contributions of Native Americans rather than Columbus, who enslaved the Native people he encountered during his voyages to what would be later be known as the Americas.
“For generations, Federal policies systematically sought to assimilate and displace Native people and eradicate Native cultures,” Biden wrote in the proclamation. “Today, we recognize Indigenous peoples’ resilience and strength as well as the immeasurable positive impact that they have made on every aspect of American society.”
Biden also issued a proclamation acknowledging Columbus Day and the contributions of Italian Americans but noted the "painful history of wrongs and atrocities that many European explorers inflicted on Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities."
"It is a measure of our greatness as a Nation that we do not seek to bury these shameful episodes of our past — that we face them honestly, we bring them to the light, and we do all we can to address them," Biden wrote. "On this day, we recognize this painful past and recommit ourselves to investing in Native communities, upholding our solemn and sacred commitments to Tribal sovereignty, and pursuing a brighter future centered on dignity, respect, justice, and opportunity for all people."
Some cities and states across the nation have already moved to replace celebrating Columbus Day on Monday with Indigenous Peoples Day.
At the federal level, Democratic members of Congress have introduced legislation to make Indigenous Peoples Day a federal holiday instead of Columbus Day.
Rep. Norma Torres (D-Calif.) and Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) both recently introduced bills to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day as a legal public holiday on the second Monday in October.
Many Republicans, meanwhile, have pushed back against the criticisms of celebrating Columbus Day by arguing its legacy deserves recognition despite the complicated history.
In his presidential proclamation marking Columbus Day last year, former President Trump condemned “radical activists” who “have sought to undermine Christopher Columbus’s legacy.”
The cities and states marking Indigenous Peoples' Day for the first...
The Hill's 12:30 Report - Presented by The National Columbus...
“These extremists seek to replace discussion of his vast contributions with talk of failings, his discoveries with atrocities, and his achievements with transgressions,” Trump wrote. “Rather than learn from our history, this radical ideology and its adherents seek to revise it, deprive it of any splendor, and mark it as inherently sinister.”
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) similarly argued in a series of tweets on Monday that critics of Columbus Day were "not interested in teaching real history, with context & truth" about the conflicts between European explorers and Native Americans.
"I believe America has been the greatest force for good in the history of the world. Do we have our faults? Certainly. Including especially the oppression of Native Americans & our original sin the grotesque evil of slavery. But our IDEALS transformed the world," Cruz wrote.
A pair of House Republicans introduced a measure in support of the federally recognized Columbus Day holiday amid efforts largely on the left to promote Indigenous Peoples Day instead.
The resolution from GOP Reps. Andrew Garbarino (N.Y.) and Mark Amodei (Nev.) formally expresses support for recognition of the explorer Christopher Columbus and "his impact on the Italian-American community."
"Columbus Day honors not just the contributions and ingenuity of Christopher Columbus, but also of the generations of Italian Americans that followed. It is a day of great pride and celebration for the Italian American community," Garbarino tweeted on Monday.
President Biden late last week became the first sitting U.S. president to issue a presidential proclamation marking Indigenous Peoples Day.
Proponents of Indigenous Peoples Day argue that there should be a holiday celebrating the historical contributions of Native Americans rather than Columbus, who enslaved the Native people he encountered during his voyages to what would be later be known as the Americas.
“For generations, Federal policies systematically sought to assimilate and displace Native people and eradicate Native cultures,” Biden wrote in the proclamation. “Today, we recognize Indigenous peoples’ resilience and strength as well as the immeasurable positive impact that they have made on every aspect of American society.”
Biden also issued a proclamation acknowledging Columbus Day and the contributions of Italian Americans but noted the "painful history of wrongs and atrocities that many European explorers inflicted on Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities."
"It is a measure of our greatness as a Nation that we do not seek to bury these shameful episodes of our past — that we face them honestly, we bring them to the light, and we do all we can to address them," Biden wrote. "On this day, we recognize this painful past and recommit ourselves to investing in Native communities, upholding our solemn and sacred commitments to Tribal sovereignty, and pursuing a brighter future centered on dignity, respect, justice, and opportunity for all people."
Some cities and states across the nation have already moved to replace celebrating Columbus Day on Monday with Indigenous Peoples Day.
At the federal level, Democratic members of Congress have introduced legislation to make Indigenous Peoples Day a federal holiday instead of Columbus Day.
Rep. Norma Torres (D-Calif.) and Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) both recently introduced bills to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day as a legal public holiday on the second Monday in October.
Many Republicans, meanwhile, have pushed back against the criticisms of celebrating Columbus Day by arguing its legacy deserves recognition despite the complicated history.
In his presidential proclamation marking Columbus Day last year, former President Trump condemned “radical activists” who “have sought to undermine Christopher Columbus’s legacy.”
The cities and states marking Indigenous Peoples' Day for the first...
The Hill's 12:30 Report - Presented by The National Columbus...
“These extremists seek to replace discussion of his vast contributions with talk of failings, his discoveries with atrocities, and his achievements with transgressions,” Trump wrote. “Rather than learn from our history, this radical ideology and its adherents seek to revise it, deprive it of any splendor, and mark it as inherently sinister.”
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) similarly argued in a series of tweets on Monday that critics of Columbus Day were "not interested in teaching real history, with context & truth" about the conflicts between European explorers and Native Americans.
"I believe America has been the greatest force for good in the history of the world. Do we have our faults? Certainly. Including especially the oppression of Native Americans & our original sin the grotesque evil of slavery. But our IDEALS transformed the world," Cruz wrote.
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