Celebrating Columbus Day, Or Not?
Christopher Columbus sailed
the ocean blue in 1492. Columbus Day is
always celebrated the second Monday
in the month of October. Schools across
the nation have off to celebrate the discovery of America. However, Columbus was in search of an all-water route to Asia and
wanted to reach the country of India. Once
he landed in the Caribbean,
he thought he landed in India; therefore, he called the Natives “Indians.” This
is why the Native Americans in North America were referred to as Indians. Columbus treated the “Indians” very
poorly. Being that Columbus and his crew
were from Europe, and no one else came into contact with the New World, many of the Indians died off because they
were not immune to these new
diseases. The Indian population decreased
dramatically. Columbus also treated
these Indians very poorly; he enslaved
them and forced them into manual
labor, for the benefit of Spain, the country that Columbus sailed
for. The European nations all benefited
from the labor and the resources in
the New World. Some Americans today
believe that Columbus Day should not be celebrated due to the fact that he
treated the Indians very harshly and unfairly.
What do you think?
Vocabulary Words:
Sailed (adjective)
- a boat or ship that has sails of a specific kind
Celebrated
(adjective) - greatly admired
All water route
(noun) – a type route that only uses waterways, trying to reach one
side of the world from the other
Caribbean (noun) –
land/islands in the Caribbean Sea
Natives (noun) – a
person born in a specified place or associated with a place by birth
The New World
(noun) – the western hemisphere including North and South America
Immune (adjective)
– resistant to a certain type of sickness or disease
Enslaved (verb) – to
make someone a slave/ a servant and is forced to work for that person
Manual labor (noun)
– labor/work done physically using your hands
Resources (noun) –
a stock or supply of materials, such as minerals, fertile soil, water,
goods and products
Vocabulary Activity: Flash Cards
Directions:
Using index cards, on one side write the vocabulary word in big
letters. On the back of the index card,
write the correct definition of the vocabulary word you just wrote on the
front. Repeat until you have made ten
flash cards. You can use these to study
and quiz yourself, or you can play a review game. You can place all of the vocabulary words
face up and in order to collect the card, you must state the correct
definition. Your turn keeps going until
you forget a definition or there are no more cards left. Another game you could play is placing all of
the definitions facing up and you have to state the correct vocabulary word
that goes with the definition. Your turn
keeps going until you forget a definition or there are no more cards left.
Grammar Point: The use of the semicolon and comma.
A semicolon is a punctuation mark that indicates a pause,
usually between two main clauses (complete sentences) that are related. A comma is another type of punctuation mark
that indicates a pause as well or can separate words while you are listing
things. Below are two examples from the
reading that use both the semicolon and the comma. Write two sentences of your own that include
both semicolons and commas.
Examples:
Once he landed in the Caribbean, he thought he landed in India;
therefore, he called the Natives “Indians.”
Columbus also treated these Indians very poorly; he enslaved
them and forced them into manual labor, for the benefit of Spain, the country
that Columbus sailed for.
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