In the United States, there is a lot of debate over whether Christopher Columbus was a positive figure in world (and U.S.) history. Some feel that we should celebrate his amazing achievement of sailing across the ocean in 1492 to discover the "New World" (the Americas). As a result, we celebrate Columbus Day on October 12 in the United States and build statues celebrating him, such as the one in Columbus Circle in New York City. However, many others feel that Columbus's actions led to the unfair treatment of indigenous people (or Native Americans) that lived on this continent before he arrived. The narrative on Columbus is changing in the U.S. In recent history, more and more people have said that they think we should stop celebrating Columbus Day, because he treated many people very badly by stealing their wealth and taking advantage of cultural differences. I agree with this opinion.
When I arrived in Spain, I found a very strong difference of perspectives between people from the U.S. and Spaniards regarding Columbus. In Spain, Cristóbal Colón (Christopher Columbus) is viewed as a brave explorer. This is because when Columbus sailed to the Americas in 1492, he left from Spain using Spanish ships.
