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.