Columbus, the Great Italian Uniter of Humankind

Columbus, the Great Italian Uniter of Humankind
by David Trumbull

"Today our Nation honors the legendary Christopher Columbus -- the original American hero, a giant of Western civilization, and one of the most gallant and visionary men to ever walk the face of the earth. This Columbus Day, we honor his life with reverence and gratitude, and we pledge to reclaim his extraordinary legacy of faith, courage, perseverance, and virtue from the left-wing arsonists who have sought to destroy his name and dishonor his memory." --Donald J. Trump, Presidential Proclamation 10980 of October 9, 2025.

"We're back. Columbus Day. We're back, Italians." -- President Trump, October 9, 2025, as reported on Fox News and other news outlets.

Italian-Americans, justly cerebrate Columbus Day in honor of the many benefits that persons of Italian heritage have contributed to our great -- the greatest ever -- Democratic Republic. I would never disparage the worthy honors bestowed on the great Italian navigator. However, Columbus should be a hero for every American and every person on Earth, because Columbus was one of the most important persons in world, not just American, history.

Prehistoric global migration of mankind left the world with two populations, one in the Old World, the other in the New World, each wholly ignorant of the existence of the other. This past Monday we celebrated Columbus Day in honor of his historic voyages that opened communication, commerce, and migration between the Old World of Africa, Asia, and Europe, and the New World of the Americas.

Columbus' voyages of discovery led directly to Spanish settlements in the New World that became, with time, the many Latin-American nations of South, Central and North America and the islands of the Caribbean. The United States, today a sea-to-sea continental nation with citizens and residents whose ancestors lived in every corner of the globe, likewise traces her beginnings to Columbus. As early as 1738 "Columbia" had entered the English tongue as a name for the 13 British colonies in North America that became our original 13 States. Yes, from the birth of our nation it was understood that it all started with Columbus.

That's why Columbus, the global uniter, matters.