Should we celebrate Christopher Columbus Day? Why or why not?

This, of course, is a matter of opinion, and I will answer it by explaining both sides of the controversy.

Many who support Columbus Day as a holiday support the traditional view that Columbus's voyages made a New World possible. By his "discovery" of the Americas, Columbus ushered in a new era that, the holiday's supporters argue, culminated with the establishment of the United States of America. Whatever tragic elements the story of Columbus may...

This, of course, is a matter of opinion, and I will answer it by explaining both sides of the controversy.

Many who support Columbus Day as a holiday support the traditional view that Columbus's voyages made a New World possible. By his "discovery" of the Americas, Columbus ushered in a new era that, the holiday's supporters argue, culminated with the establishment of the United States of America. Whatever tragic elements the story of Columbus may have, his is also a story of human daring, enterprise, and "can-do" spirit that many identify with the American way of life even though Columbus lived and died almost three centuries before the establish of the United States. Columbus was also, of course, Italian, and the holiday had its origins as a celebration of Italian-American heritage at a time when Italian immigrants faced discrimination. It still is for many people, and for that reason should be celebrated, in the same way that Irish-Americans celebrate St. Patrick's Day. 

Opponents of Columbus Day argue that he is not an individual to be celebrated. Rather, contact between Columbus and Native Americans ushered in one of the great tragedies in human history. Columbus himself brutally exploited Indian peoples, and the process begun by Columbus culminated with the virtual annihilation of Native peoples. To celebrate Columbus is to celebrate the destruction of these peoples. Of course, many of the most active opponents of the holiday are Native Americans, and some argue that the holiday should be a celebration, or better yet a memorial, of Indian peoples, who were here before Columbus.