Why We Celebrate Columbus Day

Every October, America marks Columbus Day. But why? Deuce draws out the story of Christopher Columbus, the weaver's son from Genoa who spent years asking kings and queens to pay for a voyage west, crossed the Atlantic in 1492 and changed the map of the world. Then we follow how he became an American symbol, from the name Columbia to the 400th anniversary in 1892, and why Italian Americans made him their hero. Chapters 0:00 Intro 0:27 The world in 1492 1:20 A weaver's son from Genoa 2:00 The big idea 2:51 Years of no 3:50 Into the unknown 4:46 Land! 5:58 A hero's welcome 6:43 Three more voyages 7:58 Two worlds meet 8:52 Why America celebrates him 10:05 A hero for Italian Americans 11:43 The lesson 12:03 Sign-off Sources Every claim in this video was checked against a source. Key sources: Christopher Columbus: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Columbus Christopher Columbus biography (Encyclopedia.com): encyclopedia.com/people/history/explorers-travelers-and-conquerors-biographies/christopher-columbus Voyages of Christopher Columbus: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyages_of_Christopher_Columbus Fall of Constantinople, 1453: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_of_Constantinople Bartolomeu Dias: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartolomeu_Dias The myth of the flat Earth: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myth_of_the_flat_Earth Granada War: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granada_War Capitulations of Santa Fe: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitulations_of_Santa_Fe Volta do mar (the Atlantic wind loop): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volta_do_mar Lucayan people: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucayan_people Taino language: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ta%C3%ADno_language Columbus's letter on the first voyage: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus%27s_letter_on_the_first_voyage Where the name Indians came from (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1911): en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Indians,_North_American West Indies: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Indies Columbus believed he had reached Asia (Mariners' Museum): exploration.marinersmuseum.org/subject/christopher-columbus/ Francisco de Bobadilla: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_de_Bobadilla The lunar eclipse of March 1504: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_1504_lunar_eclipse Columbian exchange: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbian_exchange Germ theory of disease: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germ_theory_of_disease Koch, Brierley, Maslin and Lewis, the population of the Americas after 1492 (Quaternary Science Reviews, 2019): sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277379118307261 Columbia, the name for America: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_(personification) Columbus Day: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus_Day Columbus Day history (History.com): history.com/articles/columbus-day President Harrison's proclamation, July 21, 1892 (American Presidency Project): presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/proclamation-335-400th-anniversary-the-discovery-america-columbus Pledge of Allegiance: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pledge_of_Allegiance World's Columbian Exposition, 1893: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World%27s_Columbian_Exposition Italian Americans: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_Americans New Orleans, March 14, 1891: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_14,_1891_lynchings Columbus Monument, Columbus Circle: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus_Monument_(New_York_City) Knights of Columbus: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_of_Columbus Images Portrait said to be Christopher Columbus: Sebastiano del Piombo, Metropolitan Museum of Art, public domain Landing of Columbus: John Vanderlyn, public domain World map, 1507: Martin Waldseemuller, Library of Congress, public domain Court of Honor, World's Columbian Exposition, 1893: John Henry Twachtman, public domain Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria replicas, 1893: E. Benjamin Andrews, public domain All images via Wikimedia Commons. Music composed for this video with VSCO 2 Community Edition samples (CC0) and the GeneralUser GS sound font. #ColumbusDay #History #DrawItOut