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On May 30 2021,
Louis Gallo
wrote:
I read your
piece regarding
the above, and
as the National
Consultant on
Columbus for the
Order Sons and
Daughters of
Italy in America
(OSDIA) I felt
an urge to
re-educate you
about Columbus
since you were
sullied in your
education by
revisionist
professors in
your college
years. What’s
even sadder is
the position you
take as a fellow
Italian
American, but
from my
experience it’s
not that unusual
because
historically
Italians are a
sectarian people
who for
centuries
stifled any
attempt at
unitarianism on
any subject in
their lives.
Let me start
out by telling
you I have
studied Columbus
for eight years
now, and have
read and am
still reading
anything I can
get my hands on
about him. In my
former role as
the NYS Chairman
of the
Commission for
Social Justice
(CSJ), the
anti-defamation
arm of OSDIA
that I headed
for four years,
I commissioned
four historians
who had already
written positive
works on
Columbus to
share their
knowledge with
our group, which
we parlayed into
a handy pamphlet
and a
stand-alone
website. From my
studies I put
together a
dramatic
one-hour
presentation on
Columbus in
costume and in
the first person
that played to
community and
fraternal groups
all over New
York and
Connecticut.
Pre-pandemic I
did eighteen of
these that
played to rave
reviews,
debunking every
single
misconception
about this
icon!! I have
come to one
singular
conclusion based
on my myriad
experiences——what
detractors are
circulating
about this man
is a TOTAL
FABRICATION!
What you’re
peddling is
terribly
misguided!
In your piece
you put “new
world” in
quotes. Typical
of all
detractors is
judging 15thc.
behavior or
ideology with
21stc.
attitudes! For
Europeans
Columbus’
landing was a
discovery and a
truly new world.
NO EUROPEAN UP
TO THAT POINT
HAD EVER LANDED
IN THE
CARIBBEAN! For
the aborigines
he made contact
with it was just
as much a
discovery for
them too! They
had never seen
such bearded
white skin, such
superior
weaponry, such
majestic ships,
and all that
clothing!! They
came to realize
they were part
of a much larger
world beyond
their horizons.
The reputable
astrophysicist
Neal Tyson
DeGrasse called
Columbus’
discovery the
“greatest event
of the human
species on this
planet ever”
because it was a
reuniting of two
human races once
again after the
geological
continental
drift. On that
fact alone he
deserves a
national
holiday!!!
Then you said
his accidental
discovery
brought
"assault, theft,
and disease.”
Yeah, that’s
what followed,
but here’s the
kicker——it
wasn’t he that
was guilty of
these!!! READ
HIS LOG, RUSS!
The initial
contact was very
cordial;
Columbus
exchanged glass
beads, sailor
caps and
bonnets, and
hawk’s bells for
parrots and
cotton balls! On
all his voyages
he always did
the same! That’s
not theft! In
fact, his
settlements were
really only “factoria,”
trading
outposts. After
all, wherever he
landed, he had
to settle
somewhere, and
to make worthy
use of his time,
he inquired
about gold,
food, water, and
timber. As far
as disease, upon
contact over
time both native
and European
contracted an
exchange of
diseases—natives
contracted the
common cold,
flu, measles,
and smallpox;
Europeans
hepatitis,
encephalitis,
tuberculosis,
and the native
skin disease
known as yaws
when contracted
by the Europeans
caused syphilis
which spread all
through Europe
as a result of
Columbus’ first
and second
voyages. Don’t
just blame
Columbus for
disease! When
different
peoples make
contact over
time, disease is
a natural
consequence!
As far as
“assault.” let’s
get the story
straight! The
pivotal event
that transformed
cordiality to
brutality
occurred when
Columbus left
thirty-nine of
his crew behind
on Hispaniola on
his return to
Spain in January
1493 after his
first voyage. He
gave strict
orders: no
rampaging or
marauding, leave
the women alone,
don’t cause
trouble, keep
cordial
relations with
chief
Guacanagari’.
If any gold is
found, keep an
accounting, and
we’ll trade for
it. When he
left, the crew
did the complete
opposite! Led
by Roderigo
Escobedo, Pedro
Gutierrez, and
Diego de Arana,
the crew
separated into
gangs and beat
the men and
boys, stole all
the gold they
could find and
kept it in
separate caches
for themselves,
and took the
women as
concubines.
Obviously
enraged, Caonabo’
of the Kingdom
of Maguana
killed every
last one of them
and burned the
fort to the
ground. From
this point on
the returning
crews sought
endless revenge
and the natives
reacted in kind.
Consequently,
relations soured
and Columbus had
the tough task
as intermediary
in subduing the
revenge of his
crew and
maintaining
continuous
cordial
relations with
the natives.
Here lay the
crux of the
problem of the
whole
exploratory
enterprise!
PERIOD!!
Columbus was not
the guilty
party. He didn’t
even seek
revenge upon his
return. He just
established
another
settlement more
eastward, but
always remained
on guard.
IN FACT, it
should be noted
that he was
never the guilty
party as far as
savagery and
brutality. HE
WAS NOT THERE
WHEN THEY
OCCURRED! He was
either trekking
into the
interior to make
deals with the
natives for
food, water, and
timber since
royal officials
always shorted
his provisions
on the voyages,
or establishing
a settlement or
trading outpost.
He was under
contract to
explore and find
new lands and
thereby left the
outposts to a
commission which
was to govern
and control the
settlers.
Sadly, the
settlers took
the opportunity
to grab land and
torture the
natives. Lastly,
he went back and
forth to Spain
to organize
other voyages,
and on his
fourth voyage he
was marooned on
Jamaica for over
a year because
of shoddy ships
that were
shipwrecked. In
the meantime
Nicolas de
Ovando, the new
viceroy,
committed a
reign of terror
on Hispaniola
against the
natives, killing
eighty-four
chiefs including
their Queen
Anacaona. RUSS,
THE REAL
CULPRITS BESIDES
THE ONES
AFOREMENTIONED
ALSO INCLUDE
MOSEN PEDRO
MARGARIT, ADRIAN
DE MUJICA,
ALONSO DE OJEDA,
FRANCISCO DE
BOBADIILLA,
FRANCISCO
ROLDAN, DIEGO
ESCOBAR,
FRANCISCO AND
DIEGO DE PORRAS,
NOT COLUMBUS,
AND ALL
DOCUMENTED BY
PRIMARY AND
SECONDARY
SOURCES, AND
EACH WITH HIS
OWN GORY STORY
OF BRUTALITY
AGAINST THE
NATIVES!!!!!
DETRACTORS NEVER
TELL OF ANY OF
THESE
OCCURRENCES!!!
Now you know who
committed all
the “woe" you
refer to in your
article!!!
As far as
Indigenous
Peoples Day
OSDIA is
foursquare
supportive, just
not on the
second Monday in
October! His
historic
sighting was at
2 am, Friday,
October 12,
1492, and since
Columbus was
Genovese,
Italians have
obviously
appropriated the
day more than
other Americans,
a veritable
symbol of pride,
you can agree.
How many other
ethnic groups
can claim such a
proud moment
that affected
the entire
course of
western
civilization,
and he wasn’t,
as you say,
“lost.” You’re
guilty of a
21stc. judgment
again! Not one
map he had with
him had a
continent on it
between Africa
and Asia! I’VE
SEEN HIS MAPS!
Europeans by
their
explorations in
the 15thc. were
just learning
about the world
around them on
this planet. As
far as Columbus
calculated he
landed in Asia!
Period!
Consequently,
such a day in
our eyes should
remain exclusive
and not invaded
by any other
celebration. His
discovery
shifted the
entire European
mentality away
from the
Mediterranean
and towards the
Atlantic. It
set off a
burgeoning wave
of further
exploration,
settlement,
migration, and
colonization in
the western
hemisphere the
world peoples
had never seen!
Those peoples
brought their
cultural traits,
mores, and
folkways that
eventually
launched the
greatest country
on the face of
the earth——THE
UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA! How as
an Italian
American can you
not be
enthralled with
that evolution,
Russ?! Or are
you just
following the
trend of
political
faddism and
correctness?!
Yes, changing
Columbus Day to
Indigenous
Peoples Day is
sacrilege and
cultural
discrimination!
Reread the
aforesaid
history!
Unilaterally or
legislatively,
municipalities,
states, and
school districts
have rashly
wiped away a day
on a calendar
regardless of
its intrinsic
value to Italian
Americans, and
yet declaim the
mantra of
diversity?! How
hypocritical!!
Geez! Your
suggestion
“eliminating
Columbus Day” in
favor of
“Election Day”
doesn’t even
compare to the
magnitude of
Columbus’
revelatory
discovery! It’s
not even on the
same plane at
all! Ruminating
further, one can
say if it
wasn’t for
Columbus’
momentous event,
we wouldn’t even
have an Election
Day in this
country, if
these
hemispheric
lands were not
founded!
Here’s my
suggestion for
your
re-education.
Go to columbusthetruth.org,
the CSJ website
on the The True
Legacy of
Christopher
Columbus. You
will discover a
bevy of eclectic
primary and
secondary
sources that
will unravel
your
predisposition
about Columbus.
You will become
a downright
believer, and
when you finally
do, please join
us in our
protracted
campaign in
promoting and
protecting the
true legacy of
this
transformative
world icon. I
remain---
Lou Gallo
National
Consultant on
Columbus
OSDIA
Immediate Past
Chairman NYS CSJ
Miller Place,
New York
______________________________________________________________________
On May 30 2021,
Robert
Petrone wrote:
Mr. Crespolini,
Not ONLY was
Columbus not responsible
for the troubles
in the West
Indies, as Mr.
Gallo aptly
points out,
Columbus
actively fought against those
who were
responsible and,
for a multitude
of reasons, was
the first civil
rights activist
of the Americas.
I am an
attorney,
author,
professional
researcher and
expert on
Christopher
Columbus, having
been hired by
Philadelphia
City Council to
study the
primary
historical
sources and
respond to the
false claims
that Christopher
Columbus was a
racist / rapist
/ maimer /
murder /
genocidal maniac
that have driven
so many
government
policies lately.
All experts on
Christopher
Columbus agree
categorically
that
Christopher Columbus
was not the evil
person that you
portray him to
be, Mr.
Crespolini.
Stanford
University
Professor Carol
Delaney, who
dedicated
decades of her
life traveling
around the world
studying the
primary
historical
sources
regarding
Columbus, has
also explicitly
stated that
Columbus never
engaged in any
such atrocities.
My years of
research of the
primary sources
have revealed
that, in
fact, Christopher
Columbus was the
first civil
rights activist
of the Americas.
The primary
sources, cited
below, indicate
that not only
did he not harm
anyone, either
personally or by
endorsing the
harming of any
of the tribal
peoples of the
West Indies, he
actively fought
against such
behavior by the
Spanish nobles
who sought to
enslave and
force labor upon
the tribal
peoples of the
West Indies.
Specifically,
Christopher
Columbus engaged
in a list of at
least twelve
demonstrable
deeds firmly
establishing him
as the greatest
hero of the
Fifteenth and
Sixteenth
Centuries and
the Americas'
first civil
rights activist,
including that
he:
1. consistently
and persistently
advocated for
granting the
indigenes of the
West Indies full
rights and
protections as
Spanish citizens
(Letter of
Christopher
Columbus dated
February 15,
1493, stating
that the Crown
should give the
tribal peoples
of the Indies
"the love and
service of their
Highnesses and
of the whole
Spanish
nation"; Historia
de las Indias,
Columbus's
Journal entry of
October 14,
1492, where he
suggest they be
made "subjects"
of the Crown,
which would
grant them all
the rights
attendant
thereto);
2. sailed the
Caribbean on his
Second Voyage
rescuing Tainos
from capture and
enslavement by
the flesh-eating
Carib and Canib
tribes, thus
creating the
first
"underground
railroad" in the
Americas
(Epistolary
account of
Columbus's 2nd
Voyage by Dr.
Diego Chanca;
Columbus's
Journal entries
describing his
2nd Voyage,
dated 1493
through 1496);
3. actively
fought the
violence of the
imperialist
expansion of the
Crown of Spain,
at times going
as far as to
interpose his
body between the
swords of
conquistadors
and resistant
indigenes (Historia
de las Indias,
Book I, Chapter
92, recounting
Columbus's
freeing of
tribal people
arrested and
maimed by Alonso
de Hojeda,
saving their
lives from
Hojeda's
bloodthirst);
4. highly
regarded the
indigenous
Tainos he found
in the New
World,
characterizing
them as
“intelligent,”
“trustworthy,”
“beautiful” and
the makings of
“good
Christians”
(Columbus's
letters to the
Crown of Spain, passim);
5. promoted
peace in
accordance with
the Commandments
and the
Scriptures he
held in such
reverence (See
all entries in
his diary
recording his
contact with the
tribes, all of
which were
peaceful and
friendly -- the
entries are too
numerous to list
here, but are
corroborated in
Book I of Historia
de las Indias, passim);
6. intervened
always as a
pacifying force
against the
greedy and
entitled Spanish
nobles who
defied his
prohibitions
against
enslaving the
tribal peoples,
revolted against
Columbus’s
governance in
response, and
indulged in
mutual
hostilities with
the tribal
peoples against
Columbus’s
direct mandates
for peace (Books
I and II of Historia
de las Indias);
7. maintained
friendly,
peaceful,
mutually
beneficial
relations with
the indigenes of
the Americas,
the overwhelming
majority of whom
who considered
Columbus a good
friend and a
welcome newcomer
(Book I of Historia
de las Indias;
Columbus's
journal entries
recording first
contact with
various tribes
during his 1st
and 2nd
Voyages);
8. provided
testimony to the
court of Spain
resulting in the
deposing of
Francisco de
Bobadilla, the
real perpetrator
of the
atrocities in
the West Indies
(Historia de
las Indias,
Book II, Chapter
3);
9. spent the
entirety of his
fourth voyage
working to
depose
Bobadilla's
successor,
Nicolás Ovando,
who continued
Bobadilla’s
atrocities in
Columbus’s
absence (Historia
de las Indias,
Book II, Chapter
36, recounting
how Governor
Ovando
prohibited
Columbus from
coming to
Hispaniola, but
Columbus came
anyway to
confront Ovando
in his own
court);
10. successfully
petitioned the
crown of Spain
to enact the
first civil
rights
legislation of
the Americas,
forever securing
an impregnable
decree from the
highest
authority
protecting the
indigenes from
enslavement or
any other
mistreatment (Historia
de las Indias,
Book II, Chapter
3);
11. inspired
Friar Bartolomé
de las Casas,
Protector of the
Indians, to
petition the
crown of Spain
(successfully)
to fund the
formation of an
order of
Dominican friars
who stationed
themselves in
the West Indies
and enforced the
civil rights
legislation that
Columbus got
passed, forcing
the Spanish
nobles to end
their
mistreatment and
slavery of the
indigenes once
and for all (Historia
de las Indias,
Book III,
Chapters 130
through 139);
and
12. initiated
more than five
hundred years of
cultural,
economic, and
political
relations
between the Old
World and the
New, commencing
a perpetual
exchange of
science,
technology, law,
commerce, art,
music,
literature, and
people,
benefiting and
enriching the
globe from pole
to pole (Historia
de las Indias, passim;
Journals and log
books of
Columbus, passim; The
Life of the
Admiral by
Hernando Colón, passim).
I certainly hope
that truth is
a value to you,
Mr. Crespolini.
And if so, I
hope you educate
yourself on the
primary
historical
sources. The
world falls
apart when you
don't tell the
truth! Or
maybe that is
what you want?
Robert F.
Petrone,
Attorney at Law
Chair of the
Committee for
Heritage
Justice, Filitalia
International &
Foundation
Co-chair of Conference
of Presidents Subcommittee
to Preserve
Columbus Day
Host of "Christopher
Columbus
University" on
Radio Voice
Italia
Co-curator of
the preservecolumbus.us informational
repository
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