. |
||||||||
........AN INDEPENDENT NEWS MAGAZINE FOR ITALIAN AMERICANS AND ITALOPHILES | ||||||||
|
xx | .
As Italian Americans Celebrate Christopher Columbus Day, President Obama Recalls "Tragic Hardships" that Indigenous People Endured As a Result of European Exploration THE WHITE HOUSE On October 12, 1492, Christopher Columbus and his
crewmembers sighted land after an ambitious voyage across the
Atlantic Ocean. The ideals that guided them to this land --
courage, determination, and a thirst for discovery -- have
inspired countless Americans and led to some of our Nation's
proudest accomplishments. Today, we renew our commitment to
fostering the same spirit of innovation and exploration that Ten weeks before his arrival in the Americas, Columbus and his crewmembers set sail from Spain in search of a westward route to Asia. Though their journey was daring, it did not yield the trade route they sought. Instead, it illuminated a continent then unknown to Europe, and established an unbreakable bond between two distant lands. These explorers, and countless others that followed them,
encountered indigenous peoples that had lived in the Western
hemisphere for tens of thousands of years. On this day, we also
remember the tragic hardships these communities endured. We Columbus returned to the Americas three more times after
his first historic voyage, and his journey has been followed by
millions of immigrants, including our Nation's earliest settlers
and Founders. Born in Genoa, Italy, Christopher Columbus was
the first in a proud tradition of Italians to cross the Atlantic
to our shores. Today, we recognize their indelible influence on
our country and celebrate the remarkable ways Italian-Americans The excitement Christopher Columbus and his crewmembers
experienced that October morning is felt every day by today's
pioneers: entrepreneurs and inventors, researchers and
engineers. On the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's voyage, In commemoration of Christopher Columbus's historic voyage
519 years ago, the Congress, by joint resolution of April 30,
1934, and modified in 1968 (36 U.S.C. 107), as amended, has
requested the President proclaim the second Monday of October NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, do hereby proclaim October 10, 2011,
as Columbus Day. I call upon the people of the United States
to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this seventh day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth. BARACK OBAMA
|CiaoAmerica.net| |
||||||
|