Readers Say, Keep Columbus Day

On Columbus Day, readers on New Hampshire Patch sites were asked if they thought the holiday should be changed.

According to the poll results, more than 74 percent voted No, with 23 percent saying Yes. I don’t know received 2.3 percent in the poll.

On both Patch sites and Patch Facebook sites, a number of people sounded off about the idea. One suggested that the holiday be called European History Day; another said Discover America Day. One reader sarcastically suggested changing the name to Casino Day.

Other readers, however, offered some depth to why they were supporting one option or another.

One reader wrote, “Conquest is a part of human history people. This will be a mighty long endeavor if you were to prioritize from the beginning,” while another stated, “No one is trying to change history … We’re trying to change the present day celebration of a murderous, disease spreading slave trader, who was lost at sea and who didn’t even discover America, despite what we are taught in school. You should learn your history before you start preaching about it.”

As with all polls on Patch, it’s unscientific and done just for fun, to gauge reader perception of an idea or candidate. We’ll have more polls coming soon, including 2014 campaign polls.