Growing up in Columbia, South Carolina, I was always under the impression that my city was named after Christopher Columbus. There's even a statue of Columbus in Riverfront Park with a plaque saying "The first city as well as the first-planned capital in America named after Christopher Columbus..."
Christopher Columbus statue in Riverfront Park. Photos courtesy of One Columbia.
The problem is this isn't true.
The word Columbia had been used to describe the thirteen colonies since the 1730's. Yes, the word derived from Columbus but by the 1780's when the city of Columbia was formed, it had taken on a whole new meaning as a concept and the personification of the United States in goddess form.
A depiction of the goddess Columbia
The personification of Columbia was invented by poet Philiss Wheatley, a formerly enslaved woman, in her 1776 poem entitled His Excellency General Washington, of which here is an excerpt:
Celestial choir! enthron’d in realms of light,
Columbia’s scenes of glorious toils I write.
While freedom’s cause her anxious breast alarms,
She flashes dreadful in refulgent arms.
See mother earth her offspring’s fate bemoan,
And nations gaze at scenes before unknown!
See the bright beams of heaven’s revolving light
Involved in sorrows and the veil of night!
The Goddess comes, she moves divinely fair,
Olive and laurel binds Her golden hair:
Wherever shines this native of the skies,
Unnumber’d charms and recent graces rise.
Phillis Wheatley
The Wheatley Branch of Richland Library is named after her and there is picture of her inside.
John Lewis Gervais
In his book, Columbia & Richland County, John Hammond Moore sites an account of the state Senate proceedings from the Charleston Morning Post and Daily Advertiser, March 11, 1786. The newspaper article recounted that opponents argued that the town should be named after a live hero (Washington) instead of a dead man (Columbus). The opponents of the name, Columbia, also argued that Christopher Columbus had nothing whatsoever to do with North America. In the end, Columbia won out over Washington by a vote of 11-7. This would indicate the city was named for the dead man, Christopher Columbus. See pages 42-43 of John Hammond Moore's book Columbia & Richland County - A South Carolina Community, 1740-1990.
ReplyDeleteJohn Hammond Moore's article in the South Carolina Encyclopedia also says it was "named for Christopher Columbus". http://www.scencyclopedia.org/sce/entries/columbia/
ReplyDeleteyhea i think donald trump was misunderstood well look at the facts since he has been in office peopel are paying more attention to the poor not even obama did that count the dollars in your pocket compare the obama years to the post obama years and why should obama go down in history as the greatest black american he was just the first balck president martin luther king holds a place in my heart and second obama was a fince major so i have to put george wshinton carver ahead of him in science for those who want to put him before jesus be my guess free country let every man choose the hero that suits him or her best so seco9nd donakld trump had even been in a menatl insturion yet he mangaed to do better than some in fact it seesm that it the experience made hoim a better person
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