In Midtown, Manhattan, a 76-foot monument boasts Christopher Columbus at the center of a traffic circle dedicated under his name. As one of the most diverse and liberal cities globally, it’s surprising that symbols of oppression remain, especially at 76 feet. Controversy over the monument has long been under debate. One side deems the monument an unjust glorification of a colonizer, while the other deems the monument a symbol of the perseverance of Italian immigrants- those who built it. Why were 76 feet of Christopher Columbus built in the first place?
Gilded Heroism and Cemented Oppression
1492. A number engrained in any student of the American education system as the year when “Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” The history of Christopher Columbus deems him the discoverer of a New World, now known as the Americas. In celebration of such triumph, the Columbus Circle Monument in New York City boasts, “Joy and Glory, never uttered a more thrilling call… from the conquered ocean, in sight of the first American island, land! land!… the discovery of America, in imperishable remembrance” (NYC parks). Truly in imperishable remembrance, the 76-foot monument not only lies at the center of a busy traffic circle, but it also lies about the heroism of Christopher Columbus. While being falsely attributed to the discovery of America, Columbus’s discernible history of being a bloody conqueror- responsible for the genocide of native populations- is masked.
However, despite the controversial history of Christopher Columbus, his legacy has been highly regarded by Italian descent. Since Columbus was born in Italy, his heroism in discovery was esteemed by Italian immigrants of the late 19th century- those also searching for their “New World.” Thus, the Columbus Circle monument surfaced in 1892 at the hands of Italian Americans. Their words inscribe “To Christopher Columbus, the Italians Resident in America, scoffed at before, during the voyage, menaced, after it, chained, as generous as oppressed, to the world he gave a world” (NYC parks). The vainglorious monument once stood for the struggle of Italian immigrants. However, considering Columbus’s truthful history, the monument manifests the abuse, oppression, and exploitation of the indigenous and native populations he slaughtered. In this gilded heroism, his oppression is cemented.
Note:
Once choosing the topic of this paper, I knew what I wanted my thesis to say; but choosing how to word it took many revisions. The entire process behind this paper was evolutionary as my research changed direction many times. With wanting to express how absurd I think the Columbus Circle monument is to still exist, I wanted to write from the perspective of those who also want to take it down. However, when looking into the controversy, I found the perspective of those who fight to keep it up the most surprising. I was completely unaware of the premise and context of the monument’s construction and what it represented at its establishment. So, as my research changed direction, my thesis adapted.
Was Christopher Columbus “as generous as oppressed”? The Italian explorer, Christopher Columbus, sailed for uncertainty by financial means of Spanish Monarchs to pursue fame and fortune. As a devout Catholic, he was commissioned to spread Catholicism and discover a new route to Asia for wealth- in spices and gold- that would not require sailing the circumference of Africa but across the Atlantic Ocean. Nevertheless, in lieu of the wealth he promised the Spanish monarchs, he was blinded by the triumph of enslaving the indigenous people. He gifted 500 enslaved natives of the Caribbean to Queen Isabella of Spain; however, in horror, the Queen returned the people she saw as subjects of Spain (“Christopher Columbus,”2021).
Christopher Columbus continued to disappoint his mission. The Hispaniola settlement he left to his brothers to develop was destroyed by a staged bloody revolt against their mismanagement and brutality. Spanish authorities had to take over. Columbus forced the native Taino population to search for gold and work on plantations. Consequently, they were decimated, with more than 99.64% of their population murdered (“Christopher Columbus,” 2021). As a result, Spanish authorities arrested Columbus and returned him to Spain in chains. There, he was imprisoned for more than ten years. So no, he was not oppressed. He was given the freedom to voyage but took advantage of such liberty and was arrested.
Upon release, he convinced the Spanish Monarchs to fund one more trip. He made it to Panama on his redemption expedition until being forced to abandon ship due to storms and hostile natives. Again, he was defeated and returned to Spain for the last time. The voyages of Christopher Columbus embarked the transatlantic colonization of North and South America. The resulted Columbian Exchange transferred people, food, cultures, and disease at the cost of the devastation of native populations. Thus, the monument falsely writes, “to the world he gave a world.” The “New World” he stumbled upon was already inhabited by millions of families. The truth is, to the world, he pillaged and murdered a world.
So, after countless failures and bloody exploits, why does Christopher Columbus’s legacy withstand the test of time as a courageous hero? In 1944 William L. Hedges wrote Irving’s Columbus: The Problem of Romantic Biography. Apprising the history of Christopher Columbus, he explains the context in which Columbus gained not the deserved notoriety but heroism through the romanticized words of author Washington Irving. It is revealed that the history of Columbus known to America was based on a near entirely imaginative account in Irving’s A History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus, published in 1828. Hedges explains that Irving’s research through the diaries of Columbus led “[him to believe] Columbus to be largely a pastiche of passages,” or in simpler terms, a metaphor as the facts were uninteresting (Hedges, p. 130). Dangerously, Americans took hold of Irving’s romanticized heroic embodiment.
Hedges continues to explain that the premise of the affixation to Columbus’s legacy is due to “the historical habit… to compare and contrast it with others to which it is closely related in space and time” (p. 140). After the Revolutionary War, Americans sought “heroes who were not British” but still historical figures (Vanasco, 2017). Moreover, “Columbus’s lack of connections to England made him a much more useful discoverer of America for those trying to express historical independence from Britain, even though he never set foot on the North American continent” (qt. in Waxman, 2021). Thus creating the perfect coincidence, Washington Irving’s lustrous and fabricated biography glorifies Columbus’ contributions to the U.S.
Decades following the publication of Irving’s biography, a mass of Italians immigrated to New York and struggled to find work due to physical and cultural differences. In 1882 an Irish Catholic fraternal organization called Knights of Columbus formed and banned Italian immigrants. They linked themselves with the “national hero” to make Catholicism more popular- like the duties of Christopher Columbus to spread the religion to the “New World.” At the time, the discriminated population of Italian immigrants found refuge in a religious-based alliance to assimilate better to the U.S. The Knights of Columbus and Italian Group, Sons of Columbus Legion, pushed to enact Columbus Day as a holiday while putting up statues in communities of many Italian immigrants. Christopher Columbus has become a symbol of ideals, less regarding the man himself through camaraderie between Irish Catholics and Italian Catholics. Since Columbus was deemed a hero to the U.S, the marginalized group of Italian immigrants sought acceptance by “[embracing] him as one of their own” (Vanasco, 2017), despite coming to the U.S with no such notion regarding the history of Columbus. To tie their identity to a national hero, they built the Columbus monument to stand as Italians’ national pride as they established themselves as Americans. Today, “Italian American New Yorkers feel this same sense of connection” as it still stands for what it did. However, now, furthermore manifesting how far the community has come (Vanasco 2017).
Note:
Since there were so many possible sources and I changed the course of my research, I had to toss a handful of sources. At first, I wanted to base most of my research on the terrible history of Christopher Columbus. However, I figured it would be redundant information to go in-depth, as it’s common knowledge. So I scrapped a few sources about his history and quotes from his journal. (Sidebar, I did think it was interesting to read that he wrote, “Gold is most excellent; gold is treasure, and he who possesses it does all he wishes to in this world” in his journal- the perfect example of why he was a terrible person). As I based my research on the context of the monument’s construction, I found interesting information on the organization that funded the project. There was an Italian American named Carlos Barsotti who elected himself to lead the Italians, despite protest. I found an article from 1892 in the New York Times about how Barsotti was denounced by his “countrymen”. Despite how interesting it was to find out about the conflict amongst the Italian immigrants who built the monument, I figured it would be distracting to my thesis.
To deny lineage and pride for one’s culture is not an action I beseech. It is the obvious connection that the history of Christopher Columbus does not represent the strength of Italian immigrants in the U.S. Yes, Columbus was born in Italy. However, he voyaged under Spanish rule with the mission to return wealth to Spanish monarchs. Furthermore, Columbus never set foot in North America. His contributions to the U.S are indirect as he merely commenced voyages across the Atlantic Ocean.
The history of Italian immigrants deserves respect apart from the bloody conqueror. However, the celebration of Christopher Columbus is a double-edged sword. As Italian immigrants are commemorated for their rise over adversity, Native Americans are reminded of their suffering. The words which the monument publicizes are wrong. Christopher Columbus has no right to be dedicated to being “menaced…chained, as generous as oppressed”. He was the menace. His hands inflicted the chains. He oppressed others.
Italians immigrated to the United States for the opportunity in their “New World.” Christopher Columbus sought opportunity in his “New World” by ceasing another world. False idolatry is dangerous. Commemorating historical figures for objective actions demeans those who suffered at the cost of such. However, it happens all too often. For example, Mount Rushmore observes Founding Father Thomas Jefferson for his words in the Declaration of Independence “all men are created equal.” Serving a paradox, Jefferson was one of the largest enslavers in Virginia, including the 14-year-old mother of his children. While his words claim the opposite, his actions claim that not all men are created equal.
As we glance at monuments of men deemed worthy enough of abundant granite carving their figures, remember that the pedestals they stand on are faulted. Christopher Columbus was by no means a hero. He raped, pillaged, and massacred generations of Native American families. So, while the hero served his purpose for Italian immigrants at the turn of the 20th century, why must the known mythical figure cast over the barbarity of his truth to this day? His statue and thousands of others representing false heroism have met their obsolescence. The whole truth needs to be taught. The false words of Irving Washington cannot live any further. Gilded heroism cannot perpetuate its cemented oppression. All monuments and statues of historical figures should be questioned following this study. What is set in stone does not grant their celebration and honor to be set in stone. The communities in which they stand should be reflected. Retributions should be made by teaching the truth and not subjectively glorifying histories like Christopher Columbus for patriotic use. October 12th is not Columbus Day. It is Indigenous Peoples Day. From the words of his Columbus Circle monument, “Joy and glory never uttered a more thrilling call [than] that which resounded” from just reparations.
Works Cited
“Central Park- Columbus Monument.” Official Website of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/central-park/monuments/299.
Hedges, William L. “Irving’s Columbus: The Problem of Romantic Biography.” The Americas, vol. 13, no. 2, 1956, pp. 127–40, https://doi.org/10.2307/979635. Accessed 23 Apr. 2022.
“Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: A Brief Account.” Monticello, https://www.monticello.org/thomas-jefferson/jefferson-slavery/thomas-jefferson-and- sally-hemings-a-brief-account/.
Vanasco, Jennifer. “The Complicated History of the Christopher Columbus Statue: WNYC: New York Public Radio, Podcasts, Live Streaming Radio, News.” WNYC, WNYC News, 5 Dec. 2017, https://www.wnyc.org/story/complicated-history-christopher-columbus-statue/.
Waxman, Olivia B. “How Columbus Day Became Known as an Italian-American Holiday.” Time, Time, 8 Oct. 2021, https://time.com/6104176/christopher-columbus-italian-american/.
Wiencek, Henry. “The Dark Side of Thomas Jefferson.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 1 Oct. 2012, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-dark-side-of- thomas-jefferson-35976004/?preview=_page%3D2_page%3D3%27a%3D0&page=3.
