I was shocked, when I discovered that Columbus Day was celebrated in America. In this Znet article Mitchel Cohen considers the celebration of Thansgiving. The article points out the Piligrims were fleeing religious persecution in Europe, but they immediately used religion to justify their persecution of others. Mitchel also notes the strong contrast between the behaviour ot the natives who were extremely hospitable and shared everything they had and the behaviour of the colonizers who, driven by an insatiable greed for land, exterminated the 'Indians'.

This article raises important questions. First, there is the question of history. How has the American intellegentsia suppressed discussion of history? This includes not only the history of the US mainland, but also the history of US actions throughout the world. Second, the welcoming behaviour of the natives raises the issue of how social structures and values are linked to the economic system.