Monday the nation recognized Columbus Day, but the actual day is today. On October 12, 1492, Christopher Columbus landed on an island off Florida. Although he was not the first European to visit the “New World,” Columbus first widely publicized its existence to the Europeans. Columbus undertook his first voyage facing the prospect of great danger but believed, “[O]ur Lord opened to my understanding (I could sense His hand upon me) so it became clear to me that [the voyage] was feasible. . . .

As David Barton of WallBuilders points out, it’s because of Columbus’s religious motivations and convictions that many modern educators and writers attack and condemn him as they deconstruct our history. While there’s nothing wrong with recognizing America’s indigenous people, it should be in addition to Columbus Day, not in place of.