Columbus Day — VOICES for REASON

At Brown University, the faculty voted earlier this year to ditch Columbus Day in favor of “Fall Weekend.” In years past, Berkeley, California made a similar move to “Indigenous Peoples Day,” and South Dakota now marks “Native American Day.” Even where the Columbus name has been kept, virtually all enthusiasm for celebrating the holiday has disappeared.

Why does an embarrassed, guilty silence descend on the nation each Columbus Day? Because people don’t know how to celebrate the blossoming of Western civilization over the past five centuries without seeming to rejoice in the misery of American Indians. Modern historians have distorted the facts, finding fault with Columbus, America, and Western civilization for evils and tragedies that they did not create—while extolling mysticism and tribalism, which actually are the causes of history’s darkest chapters.

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“Let’s Take Back Columbus Day” is the theme of talks that I’m giving on several college campuses this month. (The official holiday is October 12, the 517th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s discovery of America.) I spoke at New York University on October 5, and the following events are planned for next week:

• October 12: University of Virginia, Charlottesville – 7 p.m.
• October 13: University of Maryland – College Park, 6:30 p.m.
• October 15: University of Texas – Austin, 8 p.m.

At these events, I give prepared remarks for less than an hour and then spend at least that much time fielding questions. I’m really looking forward to hearing from students and addressing their concerns. It’s not often they are presented with a clear alternative to the multiculturalism and America-hatred so prevalent on college campuses, and it’s always rewarding when I can clear up confusion. For more details, consult the campus events calendar at the Ayn Rand Center’s website.

Meanwhile, here’s the lecture description:

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