Who, When, What?

Happy Columbus Day! I know it has been changed to the first Monday instead of the 12th, but according to history, it was October 12, “1492 when Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” Remember that rhyme we learned in school? Remember the names, the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria? I saw a replica of one of these ships once. It was small and sure looked fragile to have taken on a wild and vast ocean. 

In 1934, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt proclaimed October 12 as a federal holiday. So, it has been around that long. 

People of many races and nationalities make up our great country. We come from other lands with diverse customs and languages. And, some were here already when Columbus got here. Indigenous people. Some of my ancestors were among them. I’m proud of my Cherokee ancestors, from Chief Moy Toy, all the way down. I’m proud of my Irish and English and Scottish ancestors. Some of my ancestors fought for the colonists in the American Revolution and some fought in the American Civil War, both sides, so they were enemies at that time. I’m proud of them all. 

Personally, I’m glad we are not all the same. And I’m positive I don’t agree with many things that have happened in the past or are happening now, for that matter. But, I don’t want to erase them, scorn them, or blot them out of our history books. I’m glad we are not all of the same mind. I’m glad we don’t all look alike or think alike or have the same ancestry. What a dull world that would be!

I read a children’s story, years ago, about an imaginary animal who tried hard to be like the other animals so he could blend in and not look different. He grew a giraffe’s neck, sprouted a bird’s wings, a duck’s feet, and other accouterments. Pretty soon, he couldn’t fly, walk, swim, or even eat because he was no longer the animal he was meant to be. Nobody knew for sure what he was and he wasn’t sure either.

America has been called the melting pot of the world. People from many races and other places have come here because they wanted to be American. And, legal citizens are just that–Americans but even with that, we keep our identities. We are not all the same nor should we try to be. We do not think alike, act alike, dress alike or like the same foods. We have fond thoughts of old countries of our ancestors and we embrace the culture of many races. But, we are Americans. We have come through many perilous times and no other country has been able to conquer us. We are different but united. We have a history and many diverse people were a part of our history. These were not perfect people. I imagine all were flawed, some more deeply flawed than others. But, the history is ours. Without trying to insult or offend anybody, we are what we are. And, Columbus did come here in 1492. He was an imperfect man in an imperfect world, but he did make a pretty profound discovery.