1. Christopher Columbus:
Does Christopher Columbus Deserve His Own
Holiday?
http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/columbus.htm
Three hundred years passed between Columbus's discovery of the America and
the first known celebration of that discovery. In 1792, a group called the
Columbian Order organized a ceremony in New York City to commemorate the
300th anniversary of Columbus's discovery of the New World. Since then, we
have been observing his accomplishments every October by taking a day off
from work and school. We honor heroes in many ways one of which is a day of
observance set aside to honor them. Do you think the actions of Christopher
Columbus meet the criteria of a hero? Does Christopher Columbus deserve his
own holiday?

4. Banknote images sources:
http://www.rankopedia.com/Greatest-Person-on-a-Banknote/Step1/19629/.htm
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jbourj/money1.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_on_banknotes

5. Background Essay:
After the Civil War, a group of Italian immigrants in New York organized the first
real celebration of that discovery. In the years that followed, other groups of
Italian immigrants did likewise. In 1892, President Benjamin Harrison issued a
proclamation in honor of the 400th anniversary of Columbus's landing in
the Bahamas. Harrison did not, however, make the day a national holiday.
Seventeen years later, in 1905, Colorado became the first state to designate
October 12th as a holiday. In later years, other states did the same. Then, in
1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared October 12th a federal legal
holiday. It remained such until 1971, when Congress moved the official
observance to the second Monday of October. Although Columbus Day
continues to be a national holiday, it is not without controversy. Some
biographers have described Columbus's initial mission as a quest "for gold, for
God, and for glory." Yet somewhere along the way, something went tragically
awry. But Columbus's explorations were not without significance. While he
himself never reached India, his accounts served as an inspiration to future
explorers. His writings and exploits influenced nearly two centuries of exploration
and discovery. Eventually, the Americas were recognized as "new" territory, and
a western sea route to the East was discovered. His courage, determination, and
persistence are held up to generations of children as ideals to emulate.