The history behind Columbus Day

Acknowledged on the second Monday of each October, Columbus Day commemorates the landing of Christopher Columbus in what is now American soil in 1492.

On October 12, 1492, after a voyage of 10 weeks, Columbus’s crew spotted the New World. It was the beginning of a new era in history, an event commemorated across the nation ever since it was founded in 1776.

It was unofficially celebrated in several cities and states as early as the 18th century, but it did not become a federal holiday until 1937. For many, the holiday is a way of both honoring Columbus’s achievements and celebrating Italianamerican heritage.

But throughout its history, Columbus Day and the man who inspired it have generated controversy.

For many with Indigenous roots, Columbus Day felt like a celebration of invasion, theft, and colonization. Today, he is remembered as a daring explorer who transformed the New World, but his actions also resulted in changes that would eventually devastate the native populations he and his fellow explorers encountered.

Since the 1990s, a growing number of states have begun to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day, a holiday meant to honor the culture and history of the people living in the Americas before and after Columbus’s arrival.

The tussle over how or whether the United States should commemorate Columbus’s 1492 landing has fueled controversy for generations with two sides either recognizing him a heroic explorer or a villainous one.

This coming Monday, October 11, the United States will celebrate its first national Indigenous Peoples Day in a commemoration by President Joe Biden proclaimed as a day to honor “our diverse history and the indigenous peoples who contribute to shaping this nation.”

The President also issued a Columbus Day 2021 proclamation acknowledging the contributions of Italian Americans to the nation.

“I direct that the flag of the United States be displayed on all public buildings on the appointed day in honor of our diverse history and all who have contributed to shaping this nation,” Biden proclaimed.

Whether you are off work tomorrow or not, let this coming Monday be one of reflection on Columbus’s spirit of exploration, on the courage of Americans throughout history, and on the resilience of indigenous communities.