Columbus sailed the ocean blue in fourteen hundred eighty two. I’m sure we have all heard the little jingle at least one point in our social studies class. Columbus Day is a holiday that is celebrated all over the world, but is viewed differently in each culture, and I begun to wonder why that is.
Even on a more local level, each state views the importance of Columbus day differently. Is some states is it celebrated as a federal holiday, but in others its only a local observance. How it is celebrated effects of us in some way. Some states close all the post offices and schools are off. Others barely acknowledge it as a holiday. I will observe why Americans are in favor or not in favor of Columbus Day and why. It is a very controversial holiday. Some people do not believe that Columbus was the first to discover America because Vikings and indigious people were here first.
Although Columbus day effects us each in some way, it especially effects people of Italian American origin. Italian Americans are actually the ones who started this holiday. I will give some historical background on how ir was formed.
Italian Americans often hold Columbus to a high esteem, but some Americans believe that he brought slavery to America. I will explain why Americans have a reason to think this versus why Italian Americans view him as their hero.
I will research how Columbus Day is celebrated in Italian American cultures and other cultures of the world to show how it can be used to mean different things to different people rhetorically. How different cultures view a holiday shapes your view of that holiday and you are brought up celebrating it a different way. It shows how cultural traditions can shape a society and effect each person’s view individually.
This is a speech that I am waiting to here! All through my life, I too questioned to myself the significance and creation of Columbus Day. Granted, this man allegedly discovered the new land, but at what cost? Is he really a hero that deserves recognition? I am very anxious to hear your insight and analysis on questions similar to these.
I feel like this really is a strong topic. There is definitely a connection with your audience on the topic, but you still have the opportunity to present new information that we might not have known. This would establish strong credibility and would play in your favor. Ultimately, I love how you are planning to differentiate between the significance of this day in different cultures.
I am sure you will do fine, and I am very excited to hear this speech.
Best of luck!