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Sons of Italy Releases Report on Significance of Columbus
Includes Facts About Columbus' Treatment of Indians
Press
Contact: Kylie Cafiero, (202) 547-2900 kcafiero@osia.org
WASHINGTON,
D.C. - October 3, 2005 The
achievements of Christopher Columbus
and his relations with the Indian
tribes he met during his explorations
are documented in a study released
today by the Order Sons of Italy
in America (OSIA), the nation's
oldest and largest organization
for men and women of Italian heritage.
 OSIA's
Columbus: Fact vs. Fiction presents
a series of documented facts on the
life of Columbus, his explorations
and their significance, as well as
the history of Columbus Day in the
United States. It was prepared by
the Sons of Italy Commission for
Social Justice, OSIA's antidefamation
arm.
Columbus: Fact vs. Fiction also
examines the controversial charges
about the explorer that have been
levied in recent years, accusing
him of racism, genocide and slave
trading.
Using seminal sources, including
Columbus's own letters and journals,
scholarly biographies and recent
research, OSIA's Columbus: Fact
vs. Fiction presents convincing
evidence that:
• The
Vinland Map, which allegedly proves that the
Vikings arrived in North
America in 1000 AD, is probably a forgery.
• Columbus
never owned any slaves or
brought any from Africa to the Western
Hemisphere.
• Columbus did not
consider the natives he encountered to be racially
inferior. In fact, according to his own journals,
he admired the Tainos, whom he described as physically
beautiful, generous, innocent and intelligent.
• The New World was not a disease-free "Garden
of Eden" that the early European
explorers contaminated. Tests on pre-Columbian mummies, recently discovered
far from the first European colonies, reveal the native populations suffered
from syphilis, tuberculosis, arthritis and periodontal disease. Few lived
past the age of 40.
Columbus:
Fact vs. Fiction is on the OSIA Web site at http://www.osia.org/public/pdf/Columbus05_factvsfiction.pdf.
For a printed copy, send a large (9x12), stamped ($1.06), self-addressed
envelope to: Columbus Study, OSIA, 219 E St. NE, Washington, DC 20002. [Sorry,
no fax or telephone requests.]
OSIA has more than 600,000 members and supporters and a network of more than 700 chapters coast to coast. OSIA works at the community, national and international levels to promote the heritage and culture of an estimated 26 million Italian Americans, the nation's fifth largest ethnic group, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. See www.osia.org.
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