Christopher Columbus |
So, what's the big deal with Christo- pher? I remember him from school when "In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue." No, wait... maybe it was "In 1493, Columbus sailed the deep blue sea." Well, doesn't really matter since he sailed with his three ships, the Niña, Pinta and Santa Maria. He was credited with discovering the "New World", but has long been considered a contentious figure in US history for his treatment of the indigenous communities he encountered and for his role in the violent colonization at their expense. During his voyages through the Caribbean Islands and the Central and South American coasts, Columbus came upon indigenous people that he labeled "Indians." Columbus and his men enslaved many of these native people and treated them with extreme violence and brutality. During his years in the Americas he forced natives to work for his own benefit. At one point he shipped thousands of Taino "Indians" to Spain to be sold, and many of them died during the journey. They weren't immune to diseases such as smallpox, measles and influenza and when they did arrive in Spain, the majority of them died. The natives who weren't sold into slavery were forced to look for gold in mines and work on plantations. When he was Governor of what is now the Dominican Republic, he killed many natives in response to their revolt and had their bodies paraded through the streets. It is thought that close to 90% of the native population died due to Christopher Columbus. So, it is easy to see why his sculptures are being taken down in many US cities. My guess is it will also be taken down in Lancaster. Now, as disturbing as that may be, another famous Lancaster County resident is General Johann August Sutter who lived in the nearby town of Lititz, Pennsylvania for the final 10 years of his life. In the center of town is an Inn named after him. In the courtyard of the Inn sits a beautifully carved 8 foot tall figure of Sutter.
John Sutter |
General Sutter Inn will be renamed shortly. |
The wooden statue of Gen. Sutter that was recently removed. |
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