Jerry Newcombe bucks PC trend, calls famed explorer Christian hero.
Political correctness infects virtually every aspect of our culture, our thinking, our heritage.
When I grew up (and I’m only 58), Christopher Columbus was a great hero. Now, to some, he has become a villain. He is blamed for many unjustifiable things, most of which followed in the wake of his voyage. Meanwhile, the Christian side of Columbus has been lost to most of us.
Just days ago, the Seattle School Board voted unanimously to replace Columbus Day, a federal holiday, with “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” to be celebrated on the same day in support of the people allegedly plundered and wiped out by Columbus and his heirs.
Contrast this view of Columbus, which has gained currency recently, with a statement by one of nation’s first great historians, George Bancroft (1800-1891). His six-volume series (final version, 1888) on the history of the United States was a standard for a couple generations.
When I began to study America’s roots in earnest years ago, I invested in getting those six volumes. What a treasure trove. Although Bancroft was a 19th century Unitarian, at least he didn’t edit out the G-word (God), the C-word (Christian), or the B-word (Bible) in his quotes.
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