The complexity behind the “Columbus Day vs Indigenous Peoples Day” argument #historicalbias #lessonplan #PROJECTBASEDLEARNING

La historia está escrita por los vencedores, dijo Winston Churchill, presumiblemente, y desde entonces, estas palabras se han convertido en la premisa de referencia para cualquiera que critique la forma en que se cuenta la historia. Es un argumento válido que condujo a la noción de «sesgo histórico», un concepto que se ha vuelto tan importante como la historia misma. Nos ayuda a examinar las ideas y creencias predominantes que han dado forma a la historia convencional al observar el contexto y los matices con los que está cargado cada tema histórico. Esto nos permite abordar la historia y sus implicaciones de manera mucho más objetiva. Pero, ¿cómo encontramos un buen equilibrio entre los diferentes relatos históricos y enseñamos respetuosamente a nuestros estudiantes sobre este complejo fenómeno sobre el que incluso los historiadores respetados en todo el mundo tienen puntos de vista contradictorios?. 

No dejes de escuchar el podcast de Paula Bote de 4ºC. Se trata de un archivo del tipo «Charla Ted» sobre un trabajo titulado «The complexity behind the Columbus day vs Indigenous Peoples Day-Historical bias» realizado a propuesta de los profesores Marina Hurtado y Fausto Ferrero. Si quieres ver el trabajo completo en RADIOEDU no dudes en pinchar el siguiente enlace.

History is written by the victors, said Winston Churchill, presumably, and since then, these words have become the go-to premise for anyone criticising the way history is being told. It’s a valid argument that led to the notion of “historical bias”, a concept that has become as important as history itself. It helps us sift through the predominant ideas and beliefs that have shaped mainstream history through looking at the context and the nuance that every historical topic is loaded with. This allows us to approach history and its implications much more objectively. But, how do we find a good balance between different historical accounts and respectfully teach our students about this complex phenomenon that even world-wide respected historians have contradictory viewpoints on?

LESSON PLAN: “Columbus Day vs Indigenous Peoples Day”

The AIM of this lesson plan is to promote the students’ critical thinking and empathy while being culturally sensitive and historically accurate.

PRE-READING

Explaining Historical Bias to our Students: A MEDIATION ACTIVITY

STUDENTS' TASK: Let's start with an everyday analogy that’s relatable to you as a student. Two students are going to act out a conflict story in class. Each of the students would take the opposite role and share their side of the story with the class. However, while one of them is speaking, the other is going to be waiting outside (unable to hear what the other student is saying). 

A third student (maybe a volunteer one) will need to mediate the situation and make it clear how both points of view were valid, the feelings from both sides should be taken into consideration as we always have unique reasoning for acting the way we did – something we should try to understand. 

After this, me, as a teacher will point out that the students now have the same responsibility as historians – to share that story reliably and with respect to both parties. 

As a demonstration of this point, I will ask the students in the audience to re-tell the story in their own words – after listening to only the first student and then again after listening to both. This will go a long way in demonstrating how historical bias works. 

Plus, we can all work on trying to report what was heard in a more objective way without projecting personal and moral views.

At the end of this exercise, we can start drawing parallels with the topic at hand – the historical bias surrounding Columbus Day vs Indigenous Peoples Day.

Let's now read the text

READING

Columbus Day

Columbus day is a national holiday that many countries (not all) in the USA celebrate to mark the anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the Americas on October 12, 1492. 

It was President Franklin Delano Roosevelt that designated the second Monday of October (Columbus Day) as a national holiday in 1971. Since then, many states organize festivals and parades commemorate the day. 

While many people celebrate Columbus Day to honor Columbus’ achievements, in particular discovering America, and the Italian-American heritage, others are not convinced that Columbus’ achievements are something that should be celebrated. This is mostly because of two reasons. 

The first reason concerns the origins of this holiday. Italian and Catholic communities in America were the first who began commemorating the day in honor of Columbus. And, a powerful Catholic fraternal organization called “Knights of Columbus” was the main reason why Roosevelt proclaimed the day a national holiday. In the 19th century, anti-immigrant groups in America rejected the holiday because of its connection to Catholicism.

The second reason concerns the colonisation of the Americas, which was a direct result of Columbus’ discovery. In recent years, many Native American groups have also rejected the holiday, pointing out that the event led to violent practices against Native Americans, the slave trade, wars and deaths, as well as the spreading of infectious diseases. Additionally, the other issue is the fact that, in recent history, the whole notion of Columbus discovering the Americas has also been disputed, as there’s historical evidence to suggest that the Vikings got there centuries before him. 

Indigenous Peoples Day

The controversy that began in the 19th century and experienced a second-wave a few decades ago resulted in an act by the International Conference on Discrimination Against Indigenous Populations in the Americas that ultimately replaced Columbus Day in the USA with Indigenous Peoples Day – a celebration in honor of Native American’s history and culture. 

What began as a counter-celebration to Columbus Day, was officialized in South Dakota in 1989. The Governor backed a resolution to celebrate Native American Day on the second Monday of October. This was instituted in California in 1992.  

Outside the USA, Latin America celebrates this day as Día de la Raza (The Day of the Race), The Bahamas as Discovery Day, Spain as Día de la Hispanidad and Fiesta Nacional, and Argentina as Día del Respeto a la Diversidad Cultural (Day of Respect for Cultural Diversity).

Today, Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples Day is the most inconsistently celebrated holiday in the USA. Depending on where you live, you might go to work or have a paid day off to celebrate Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples Day (in states that renamed the holiday). 

THE GUIDELINES TO DEVELOP THE PROJECT WILL BE GIVEN IN GOOGLE CLASSROOM

PROJECT BASED LEARNING

 

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