Why we would be better off celebrating Italian Day of Independence or Italian Day of Liberation (the end of World War II in Italy) instead of Columbus Day: "Columbus wrote:' As soon as I arrived in the Indies, on the first Island which I found, I took some of the natives by force in order that they might learn and might give me information of whatever there is in these parts. ' ", " Spain was recently unified, one of the new modern nation-states, like France, England, Portugal. Its population, mostly poor peasants, worked for the nobility, who were 2 percent of the population and owned 95 percent of the land. Spain had tied itself to the Catholic Church, expelled all the Jews, driven out the Moors. Like other states of the modern world, Spain sought gold, which was becoming the new mark of wealth, more useful than land because it could buy anything.", " In return for bringing back gold and spices, they promised Columbus 10 percent of the profits, governorship over new-found lands, and the fame that would go with the new title: Admiral of the Ocean Sea.", "The Indians, Columbus reported,"are so naive and so free with their possessions that no one who has not witnessed them would believe it. When you ask for something they have, they never say no. To the contrary, they offer to share with anyone..." He concluded his report by asking for a little help from their Majesties, and in return he would bring them from his next voyage ' as much gold as they need...and as many slaves as they ask.' " From A People's History of the United States. Howard Zinn.