Assignment was to discuss whether we should remove statues of Columbus and other conquistadors.

My stepdaughter is a 14 year-old Hispanic. Natural-born citizen. National heritage is half Peruvian, half Salvadoran. Ethnic heritage is 40% or so White, 40% or so Native American, remaining % Asian and Black probably (we haven't done the genetic test yet).

Here is what I sent to her and her mom. She didn't reply with all of this to the teacher, but these are the talking points I gave her:

1. The question he posed, "if someone kidnapped your child..." is an appeal to emotion in order to influence your answer.

2. The fact that he has statues of him all over the place means he must have done some great things, at least in the minds of some people. So we need to investigate both why he is honored as well as analyze the bad things he did and weigh them against each other.

3. Whether he owned slaves or not is irrelevant. We cannot judge people who lived in a different culture with different beliefs by our standards of today. Most upper-class people owned slaves, including most of the people who founded the United States. Should we take down statues of George Washington, as well?

4. Christians believed that they were helping the people they converted to be saved from Hell. Whether or not that is true, their intention was to help them. The overall influence of Christianity on the New World was positive. Christianity stopped the Aztecs from sacrificing people and eating their hearts, the Incas from sacrificing innocent girls, infants from being left out to die in nature if they were unwanted.

5. Murdered people? Which leader/governor hasn't killed people? Why did he kill people? What were the circumstances? That is a pretty vague accusation.

6. Stole land? They didn't own the land. First of all, the islands where Columbus landed were vastly underpopulated, mostly due to the natives constantly killing each other in wars. Secondly, the natives in what is now the US and in the Caribbean had no concept of land ownership. So they themselves did not claim to "own" the land. Finally, people at that time conquered each other all the time. International law even recognizes "right of conquest."

7. This line of questioning totally ignores all of the good things Columbus and the other conquistadors did. And the bottom line, I as a Hispanic would not exist if it were not for Columbus, since as a Hispanic, I am a blend of Native American and White.