Le fortunas de Cristoforo Colombo in le historia
ha essite tan turbulente como le aquas del Oceano
Atlantic que ille transversava ante cinque seculos,
e ille ha essite fortemente laudate e condemnate.
Iste dies, alicun historicos essaya rehabilitar
su reputation.

Thomas Bowden, le historico qui scribeva "The Enemies
of Christopher Columbus" (Le inimicos de Cristoforo
Colombo) dice que in despecto del torrente de
criticismo sur su personalitate, nemo disputa que
su viages lanceava in le Americas un grandissime
migration de institutiones politic, legal, e cultural
ex Europa.

Nos debe celebrar isto, dice Bowden, pro reaffirmar
le valor del civilisation Occidental.  Bowden es
incholerisate proque historicos revisioniste ha
inspirate in multe americanos forte sentimentos
de vergonia verso Colomobo.

Ille comprende que Colombo non esseva le prime persona
qui discoperiva le Americas.  Ante ille, gente asian
habeva venite al Americas trans Siberia e Alaska,
e il es multo probabile que Leif Erikson viagiava
al America del Nord in le seculo XI.

Ma Colombo esseva le prime persona qui retornava
a Europa con reportos de su viages e lo que ille
videva in illos, e su reportos attraheva attention
in multiple paises europee e provocava migrationes
massive de europeos al Americas.

Bowden mantene que ille non essaya sanitisar le
vita de Colombo.  Ille sape que Colombo habeva un
personalitate multo difficile e que le avaritia
pro richessas e auro inspirava su viages.  Ille
anque sape que su marineros occideva multe membros
del tribo Arawak in le insulas del Caribe e que
eventualmente ille participava in le traffico de
sclavos.

Ma Bowden insiste que nulle altere persona videva
le possibilitates del navigation trans le Oceano
Atlantic e que nulle altere persona habeva potite
persuader un rege europee a provider le moneta necesse
pro navigar in un direction occidental trans le
distantias del Atlantico.

In le seculo XIX, le biographia de Colombo scribite
per Washington Irving, qui le pictava
enthusiasticamente como un explorator coragiose,
esseva le catalysta de su popularitate non solmente
in le Statos Unite ma etiam in Italia, Portugal,
Espania, Suitza, Armenia, Grecia, Scandinavia, e
Germania.

Ma un seculo de historia revisioniste revelava
su avaritia, su negligentia como navigator, e su
brutalitate general, facente un portrait de ille
como le homine qui portava miseria a un parte del
mundo que haberea essite multo plus felice sin le
undas de immigration europee.

Secundo Suzan Shown Harjo, le presidente del Morning
Star Institute e un activista pro le derectos de
americanos aboriginal, il non ha ulle rationes pro
admirar Colombo.

"Nos ha besonio de heroes ver," illa insiste, "non
conquistitores qui subjugava altere personas con le
excusa hypocritic que illes les civilisava."

Illa revelava que Colombo e su marineros amputava le
manos de indios qui non dava a illes le quantitates de
auro que illes voleva.  [Le Rege Leopoldo de Belgio
anque faceva isto in le Congo, e nostre Mark Twain le
denunciava fortissimemente pro su cruelitate general.
--HKj]  E Ward Chamberlain, un altere biographo de
Colmobo, le comparava al nazi Heinrich Himmler.

A causa del influentia de iste historicos e biographos
revisioniste, le Smithsonian Institution non va
celebrar le die de nascimento de Colombo.  E le
American Indian Movement (Movimento de Indios
American)
promove un celebration alternative multicultural
pro iste die feriate federal.

Americanos de origine italian non es de accordo.
Philip Piccigallo, director executive del Sons of
Italy (Filios de Italia), dice que Colombo etiam
nunc es un heroe al italoamericanos, e illes va
celebrar su die de nascimento con paradas e discursos
in multe citates american.

Piccigallo diceva que il es unjuste e historicamente
erronee lassar cader sur Colombo le blasmo pro omne
le tragedias del migration europee al Americas e
que il es importante recognoscer le corage monstrate
per Colombo in le planification e execution de su
viages.

"Colombo habeva multe defectos," dice Piccigallo,
"ma ille esseva un homine del seculo XV, e il es
injuste blasmar le pro le traffico de sclavos, que
remaneva legal in le colonias britannic usque 1833."

---

The historical fortunes of Christopher Columbus
have been every bit as stormy as the waters of the
Atlantic, which he crossed five centuries ago, and
he has been strongly praised and condemned.  These
days, some historians are trying to rehabilitate
his reputation.

Thomas Bowden, the historian who wrote "The Enemies
of Christopher Columbus" says that despite the torrent
of criticism of his character, nobody disputes that
his voyages launched in the Americas a wholesale
migration of legal, political, and cultural
institutions from Europe.

We ought to celebrate this, says Bowden, to reaffirm
the value of Western Civilization.  Bowden is (very
angry) / (all bent out of shape) / (pissed off
bigtime)
because revisionist historians have (inspired in
many Americans strong sentiments of shame) / (put
many Americans on guilt trips) about Columbus.

He understands that Columbus was not the first person
to discover the Americas.  Before him, Asian people
had come to the Americas through Siberia and Alaska,
and it is quite probable that Leif Erikson traveled
to North America in the eleventh century.

But Columbus was the first person who returned to
Europe with reports about his trips and what he
saw when he made them, and his stories attracted
attention in a number of European countries and
provoked massive migrations of Europeans to the
Americas.

Bowden maintains that he is not trying to sanitize
Columbus's life.  He knows that Columbus had a very
difficult personality and that his greed for wealth
and gold inspired his trips.  He also knows that his
sailors killed many members of the Arawak tribe in the
Caribbean islands and that eventually he participated
in the slave trade.

But Bowden insists that no other person saw the
possibilities offered by trans-Atlantic navigation
and that no other person had been able to persuade
a European king to provide the funds needed to
navigate
westward across the waters of the Atlantic.

In the nineteenth century, the biography of Columbus
written by Washington Irving, who pictured him
enthusiastically as a brave explorer, was the catalyst
of his popularity not only in the United States
but also in Italy, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland,
Armenia, Greece, Scandinavia, and Germany.

But a century of revisionist history revealed his
greed, his irresponsibility as a navigator, and his
general brutality, portraying him as the man who
brought misery to a part of the world that would have
been much happier without the waves of European
migration.

According to Suzan Shown Harjo, the president of
the Morning Star Institute and an activist for Indian
rights, there are absolutely no reasons to admire
Columbus.

"We need real heros," she insists, "not conquistadors
who oppressed other people with the hypocritical
excuse that they were civilizing them."

She revealed that Columbus and his sailors cut off the
hands of indians who did not give them as much gold as
they wanted.  [King Leopold of Belgium also did this
in the Congo, and Mark Twain denounced him strongly
for his general  cruelty.  Mark Twain and Kurt
Vonnegut are perhaps the only American literary
figures I feel I can be proud of without reservation
--HKj]  And Ward Chamberlain, another biographer of
Columbus, compared him to the Nazi Heinrich Himmler.

Because of the influence of these revisionist
historians and biographers, the Smithsonian
Institution
is not going to celebrate Columbus's birthday.
And the American Indian Movement is promoting an
alternative multicultural celebration for this federal
holiday.

Americans of Italian origin don't agree.  Philip
Piccigallo, the executive director of the Sons of
Italy, says that Columbus now is a hero for Italian
American, and they are going to celebrate his birthday
with parades and speeches in many American cities.

Piccigallo said that it is unfair and historically
erroneous to blame Columbus for all the tragedies
of European migration to the Americas and that it
is important to recognize the bravery shown by
Columbus
in the planning and execution of his voyages.

"Columbus had many defects," said Piccigallo, "but
he was a fifteenth-century man, and it is unfair
to blame him for the slave trade, which remained
legal in British colonies until 1833."

(Adapted from an article in the "Long Beach Press
Telegram," October 11, 2003)

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