Yet in doing so no American can recall the historic voyages of this great navigator without recalling the deeds of scores of other intrepid explorers and pioneers. I would not for one moment want to minimize the honor which so justly belongs to Columbus nor would I want to deprecate the honor we pay him as an Italian. But I think we could pay him even greater deference if we chose to use the day bearing his name to honor all our migrants of which he was the first and most illustrious. Although Columbus did not find it possible to remain here in the true sense of a migrant on any of his three bold visits. he is responsible for charting the seaway from Europe to America. He is responsible for stimulating the steady wave of explorers of many nationalities sailing under many flags. He is responsible for initiating the pattern followed by the colonists which gave this country its composition of many nationalities. of many traits. and of many beliefs. To him we owe the composite heritage of the worlds most courageous and intrepid searchers for freedom and the space to exercise and enjoy that freedom. Since that day in 1492 when the lookout on Columbus flagship shouted. "Land ahead." thousands upon thousands of migrants have come to this country to establish themselves as true Americans. They formed the backbone of our expanded citizenship. They gave us our culture and developed our way of life.
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migrant migrants