Christopher Columbus Historical hero Historical hero or villain? villain?

This ca painting by John Vanderlyn of The Landing of Columbus at the Island of Guanahani, West Indies, October 12th, 1492, is part of the permanent collection in the U.S. Capitol. Although based on 19th-century romantic imagery of the land, the Europeans, and the native populations, it serves to remind visitors of the early and continued importance of the Spanish heritage of the United States.

Columbus landing in the Bahamas. The voyage was remarkably uneventful nautically, being blessed with fair winds. However, it took much longer than its Admiral expected, and his son Ferdinand reported that grumbling sailors briefly threatened to throw Columbus overboard when they feared he had led them to disaster. Landfall was made on October 12, 1492, on an island in the Bahamas that Columbus named San Salvador. He cruised southward through the Bahamas, encountering a friendly group of natives who inhaled the smoke of a strange herb (tobacco), then sailed eastward to explore the north coast of the island he named Española (Hispaniola). The natives here were also friendly, and offered in trade something Columbus believed much more valuable than smoke: gold ornaments.

1992 marked 500 years of resistance by the indigenous people of the Americas. On Columbus Day (October 12th) of that year, tens of thousands of people all across the hemisphere held protest marches and rallies to expose the truth regarding the impact of Christopher Columbus on all red nations. Peruvian Indians marched in their thousands in Lima Peru... Aztec Dancers lead massive demonstrations in Mexico City... Tribes all across the United States held ceremonies and actions to denounce the genocide inflicted upon them.

Should Columbus Day be celebrated?