It was not "discover" the New World as many people mistakenly believe. According to a census taken by Columbus' men, in 1496 there were more than 1 million natives on the island of Haiti. The initial recorded Columbus Day celebration in the United States was on October 12, 1792. Then in 1892, Benjamin Harrison issued a proclamation encouraging Americans to celebrate the voyage of Columbus. They argue that it creates a false narrative about the discovery of the Americas and contributes to the disenfranchisement of Native Americans. He decimated the native population. Why Reasons to celebrate Columbus Day? Colorado did so on April 1, 1907. Before he got there, the Native population was up to 3 million people with a good life that they lived. Many people believe that Columbus Day should not be celebrated because Christopher Columbus committed atrocities against Native Americans. Top 5 Reasons NOT to Celebrate Columbus Day (And 1 Reason To) Patrick 183 shares; 145; Growing up in St. Croix, I had a fairly typical U.S. education with fairly typical U.S. textbooks as far as I can remember. It doesn't have to be 3 just how ever many you can come up with. I'm having a debate in class and I must state 3 good reasons why Columbus day should be celebrated. On Monday, Americans across the country celebrate Columbus Day by remembering it exists, frantically trying to figure out if they have to go to work, and then being disappointed when they do. Columbus Day has been a federal holiday since President Franklin D. Roosevelt first proclaimed it such in 1934. We well know that Columbus was not the first European explorer to reach the Americas. 1. Thanks! The obvious reason not to celebrate Columbus Day is that he did not discover America any more than I discovered Columbia the day in September 1960 when I first set foot on campus, the first of my friends from Flushing to do so. Why should we celebrate Columbus Day? Columbus is also used as a scapegoat for many other reasons. There’s now even a big debate as to if we should or should not celebrate Columbus Day. Grades. New York followed suit in 1909. Really, we shouldn't celebrate columbus day because Columbus mistreated the Native Americans to work them as slaves. He decimated the native population. In my personal opinion the Columbus Day don't have to be celebrated because Christopher Columbus wasn’t a hero he slaved and massacred the indians. Before I get into the “why we shouldn’t celebrate Columbus day,” Im going to explain why we do. Teachers Home Lessons and Ideas ... Why We Celebrate Columbus Day. Consequently, we were told that we shouldn’t celebrate Columbus Day, and that it would be better to replace the holiday with something to hono (It was formerly observed on October 12.) Here are three reasons we shouldn't celebrate Columbus Day, as a country. According to a census taken by Columbus' men, in 1496 there were more than 1 million natives on the island of Haiti.