From Vikings to Italian visionaries to Polish freedom lovers to Spanish missionaries, individuals from many eras, nations, and backgrounds contributed to the history of the country we now call the United States of America.
Today — Friday, October 9 — is Leif Erikson Day, commemorating the date on which a Norwegian Viking explorer likely discovered the Americas. Monday will be Columbus Day, honoring the Genoese explorer who rediscovered the Americas and opened the door to permanent Western settlements here. October 9 also marks the 1776 founding of the Spanish mission San Francisco de Asís, which would grow into the city of San Francisco, Calif. And this date is also a somber anniversary because it marks the day when the Polish general Casimir Pulaski, who had fought so fervently and honorably with the Americans, suffered mortal wounds during a battle in Georgia.
All of these disparate historical anniversaries that span almost eight centuries, from about A.D. 1000 to 1776, are important to the American story in some way. Aside from the fact that the main heroes in each of these four events were exceptionally brave — and, interestingly enough, they were all Catholics — they shared almost nothing in common personally. But that is what makes America so incredible. Never before has any nation in history been born from such an ethnically, religiously, racially, and economically diverse group of men as those who first forged a way in the wilderness and later established a new nation.
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From Erikson to Pulaski, from Christopher Columbus to Franciscan friar Francisco Palóu, men from around the planet came to America with extraordinary dreams that could only thrive in the New World. Irishmen, Jews, Germans, and Native American Indians all joined George Washington’s army to fight for liberty. Leftists want you to believe that all the early settlers and first Americans were pretty much exactly the same in terms of opinions and skin color. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Like all human beings, every historical hero is more complicated than Democrats claim. Yes, Christopher Columbus did launch an age of colonization that sometimes included crimes from both sides. But he personally helped many of the natives he met by fighting cannibals and trying to treat his captives humanely in order to inspire them to join the Christian faith. Similarly, Spanish missionaries like Palóu helped teach the Southwestern natives agriculture and architecture besides religion, aiding them in improving their lives and protecting themselves from enemies.
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Even hundreds of years before the formation of America, Canada, or Mexico, back when the Vikings with Erikson were discovering “Vinland,” this continent was the land of opportunity and prosperity for those who had suffered in the Old World. After Columbus opened up the Americas to more permanent settlements, the history was naturally complicated, but one thing remained true: This was the land of opportunity. Europeans, Africans, and Asians could come here and build new and better lives for themselves. It’s why foreigners like Pulaski and the Marquis de Lafayette came to join Washington’s army during the Revolution, inspired by the hope for a nation founded not on race or aristocracy, but on freedom.
The story of America, which we should particularly recall during this 250th year of its independence, is one rich in unique thinkers, daring heroes, and visionaries from many countries, religions, and social classes. Democrats want us to believe that diversity means fixating on skin color. But actually, America was born of a much truer and greater diversity than that.
