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You're focusing mostly on the negative aspects of a man. Nobody is the sum total of their errors, only. He was not all by himself responsible for the exploitation and annihilation of native cultures. Columbus had been arrested on accusations of tyranny and brutality toward the native peoples. Though he was released by King Ferdinand after six weeks in prison, he was denied most of the profits of his discoveries promised to him by Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, dying in pain with arthritis, impoverished and obscure at age 54.
Columbus wasn't the first European to reach the Western Hemisphere, but his voyages directly initiated a permanent presence of Europeans in both North and South America. News of the success of his first voyage spread through Europe, setting the stage for an era of European settlements. Subsequently, John Cabot "discovered" Newfoundland around 1497 and paved the way for England's colonization of North America.
Columbus wasn't a great humanitarian for even his own time, though he did pave the way for many other explorers and deserves at least some historical acknowledgement. It's not the man that's being celebrated, as much as the discovery of the route and trade winds that led to the country we now live.
What romanticist crap. Summarizing your post:
He stumbled into the Americas by accident (he had to lie to his own crew about it) and claimed to discover it even though there were people living on it.
He was sent to jail for being too murderous even for the guys who'd later enslave the entire continent. (As you yourself stated)
You're falling into the same trap as Gathomas. Believing that establishing a system or somehow altering history is enough for a person to be celebrated. That's nonsense. When that person is so devoid of any moral fiber that they were sent to jail by the guys who hired him in the first place, that's enough of a reason for them to not be celebrated. When their supposed achievements can only be validated by the actions which came later and they played no role in, that's another great reason for them to not be celebrated. Again, don't get me wrong. I'm all for celebrating days remembering G. Washington, Jefferson and the gang but celebrating murderous sailors who didn't even set foot in the US? Nonsense. Let Mongolians celebrate them. Again, he wasn't even an explorer. He wasn't looking for new land. He bumped into a continent he didn't even know was there!
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