Columbus Day and Migration

 

    At least like this year, the federal and state holiday of Columbus Day is sometimes observed on October 12, the date of the discovery of the Americas in 1492 by Christopher Columbus.  As I have observed, Washington’s Birthday, the federal holiday that most States call “Presidents’ Day” or something similar, is never observed on George Washington’s birthday.  But as I do every year, today is appropriate to reflect on the significance of this anniversary and holiday.    

    Columbus not only discovered a western and oceanic route to the Americas from the Eastern Hemisphere, but in the name of Spain founded a colony and began the permanent settlement of the Western Hemisphere by Europeans, unlike the temporary and limited settlement by previous Europeans, such as the Vikings on the island of Greenland.  Some of the Native Americans were friendly while others were hostile to the Spanish and other Europeans who later colonized the Americas.  The Europeans purchased or bartered for some of the Native Americans’ land rights in North America.  But there was some resistance to European migration and settlement, particularly among some of the Eastern Woodland Indigenous Peoples, which led to violent conflict between the Europeans and the Natives, who were fearful of losing their land or culture.  Most Indigenous People, especially outside of the eastern part of North America, still live where they have for millennia.  Many still speak their native languages, or at least maintain some degree of their cultural practices, except that they converted to Christianity and have been heavily influenced by Western European culture, like much of the world has.  

    Today in America, some of the descendants of the Europeans or of later immigrants are excessively fearful of immigrants, migrant workers and refugees from foreign lands around the globe, including from the Americas, and including Catholic and other Christians.  They even fear refugees fleeing the tyranny of Communism or Socialism, or Islamism who appreciate liberty more than those who have never been without it.  Nativists and xenophobes do not fear losing their land, but, like eugenicists, unreasonably fear population increase, despite a natural decline in population.  They especially fear a loss of culture, instead of being confident that Western values are attractive, or of economic or political power, despite the economic contribution of immigration and the embracing confidently the competition for votes for those immigrants who become naturalized citizens.  While many of these nativists hold up European colonizers and celebrate Columbus Day, they fail to see how they are as acting as intolerantly toward migrants as the Indigenous Americans they disrespect for being intolerant of migrants. 

    As I have posted, Columbus Day was established as a counter to nativists whohated Southern Europeans, Catholics and others, because it makes the obvious point that America would not even exist but for its discovery by Southern Europeans and Catholics.  The celebration of Columbus Day, therefore, is a celebration of immigration.