How Colombia Got Its Name
Hola amigos!
Learn. Think. Engage. Reflect. Wander. Wonder. Repeat.
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/colombia/history
http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ab81
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Colombia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gran_Colombia
http://www.capitalismmagazine.com/2003/01/republic-democracy-whats-the-difference/
When I was hanging out on the beach with my friend Sebastian the other day, the conversation naturally turned to a discussion about our different cultural upbringings. Sebastian is from Colombia, and he is a fellow international student that I met during my time studying abroad here in Australia. Although the conversation began with other discussions about his home country, one of us eventually asked how Colombia got it's name- since neither of us really knew, I of course ended up Googling it. So, I figured I'd share a little history of how Colombia got its name!
Why is Colombia called Colombia?
Well, the Republic of Colombia I should say! Of course, initial reactions are that it is likely named after Christopher Columbus as a result of his explorations in the Americas- and it is. However, while the Spanish first came to Colombia in 1499, it was Alonso de Ojeda (one of Columbus' sailing companions on his second voyage to the Americas) who first set foot on the land that would eventually be known as Colombia- in fact, Columbus never actually set foot in Colombia at all! So how did it get the name?
Over the next few centuries following discovery, the Spaniards conquered much of northern South America and parts of Central America. Rebellions against Spanish rule began in the late 18th century but did not prove successful until Simon Bolivar led a successful campaign that won Colombia's independence in 1819. After securing Colombia's independence, the new Congress of Angostura declared a new state that they referred to as 'Gran Colombia': the region included modern-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Panama, northern Peru, western Guyana, and northwest Brazil, although Ecuador and Venezuela were still mainly under Spanish control (note: this region was technically referred to as the Republic of Colombia at the time but has since been renamed to avoid confusion with its current moniker of the same name.)
During this time period, 'Columbia' was an eighteenth-century New Latin word, based off of Christopher Columbus, but more broadly referring to the New World and all the American land under Spanish rule. The Congress eventually coined 'Gran Colombia' (or Great Colombia) to give the term specific geographic and political reference. The Gran Colombia had dissolved into separate states by 1830, with modern-day Colombia and Panama remaining a single state first as the Republic of New Granada, then the United States of Colombia, and finally as the Republic of Colombia in 1886. Panama seceded in 1903 and there you have today's Colombia. (Since 1903, there have been efforts by some parties, known as Unionists, to once again reunite the Great Colombian state.)
Of course this discussion then also prompted:
What is a Republic?
According to Dictionary.com, a republic (or 'of the public') is "a state in which the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by representatives chosen directly or indirectly by them"- aka countries that have an elected/nominated president rather than a monarch.
Democracy, on the other hand, is government by the majority- or a group of people holding the power and making decisions via a 'democratic process.' This 'majority rules' voting system, however, is easily prone to corruption and marginalization depending on who is able to sway the majority vote- exactly why the American Founding Fathers used foresight and specifically chose to form a Republic rather than a democracy for sake of having a fairer, more just system.
So there you have it, thanks for tuning in!
Why is Colombia called Colombia?
Well, the Republic of Colombia I should say! Of course, initial reactions are that it is likely named after Christopher Columbus as a result of his explorations in the Americas- and it is. However, while the Spanish first came to Colombia in 1499, it was Alonso de Ojeda (one of Columbus' sailing companions on his second voyage to the Americas) who first set foot on the land that would eventually be known as Colombia- in fact, Columbus never actually set foot in Colombia at all! So how did it get the name?
Over the next few centuries following discovery, the Spaniards conquered much of northern South America and parts of Central America. Rebellions against Spanish rule began in the late 18th century but did not prove successful until Simon Bolivar led a successful campaign that won Colombia's independence in 1819. After securing Colombia's independence, the new Congress of Angostura declared a new state that they referred to as 'Gran Colombia': the region included modern-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Panama, northern Peru, western Guyana, and northwest Brazil, although Ecuador and Venezuela were still mainly under Spanish control (note: this region was technically referred to as the Republic of Colombia at the time but has since been renamed to avoid confusion with its current moniker of the same name.)
During this time period, 'Columbia' was an eighteenth-century New Latin word, based off of Christopher Columbus, but more broadly referring to the New World and all the American land under Spanish rule. The Congress eventually coined 'Gran Colombia' (or Great Colombia) to give the term specific geographic and political reference. The Gran Colombia had dissolved into separate states by 1830, with modern-day Colombia and Panama remaining a single state first as the Republic of New Granada, then the United States of Colombia, and finally as the Republic of Colombia in 1886. Panama seceded in 1903 and there you have today's Colombia. (Since 1903, there have been efforts by some parties, known as Unionists, to once again reunite the Great Colombian state.)
Of course this discussion then also prompted:
What is a Republic?
According to Dictionary.com, a republic (or 'of the public') is "a state in which the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by representatives chosen directly or indirectly by them"- aka countries that have an elected/nominated president rather than a monarch.
Democracy, on the other hand, is government by the majority- or a group of people holding the power and making decisions via a 'democratic process.' This 'majority rules' voting system, however, is easily prone to corruption and marginalization depending on who is able to sway the majority vote- exactly why the American Founding Fathers used foresight and specifically chose to form a Republic rather than a democracy for sake of having a fairer, more just system.
So there you have it, thanks for tuning in!
Learn. Think. Engage. Reflect. Wander. Wonder. Repeat.
"Being raised in a developing country opened my eyes to so much I cannot tolerate. In Colombia, educaiton is sometimes considered a luxury, not a human right. And it's not a priority in the agendas of many leaders." ~Shakira
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/colombia/history
http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ab81
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Colombia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gran_Colombia
http://www.capitalismmagazine.com/2003/01/republic-democracy-whats-the-difference/
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