Columbus Day Or Indigenous Peoples' Day? The Debate Continues
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Columbus Day, which honors the Italian explorer's October 12, 1492, arrival to the Americas, has been a US federal holiday since 1971. However, the holiday, marked annually on the second Monday of October (October 10th this year), has always been controversial. Many believe that the European settlers' mistreatment of the Native American people is not a cause for celebration.
Historians also argue that Christopher Columbus did not "discover" the continent. The indigenous people had been living in the Americas long before his arrival. He was also not the first European to set foot in North America. A Norse explorer by the name of Leif Erikson set up the first European settlement in Greenland in AD 980 — nearly 500 years before Columbus's arrival.
Some US states, like Oregon, Iowa, and Nebraska, have never recognized Columbus Day. Hawaii renamed it "Discoverers' Day" — in honor of the state's Polynesian founders — in 1971, while South Dakota changed it to "Native American Day" in 1990. As public awareness of the controversy increased, many US schools and universities stopped observing the holiday.
In 1977, a delegation of Native nations — at the International NGO Conference on Discrimination Against Indigenous Populations in the Americas — proposed renaming the holiday to "Indigenous Peoples' Day." They believed the change would help honor the victims of American colonization. The resolution passed with an overwhelming majority.
Berkeley, CA, was the first city to make the change in 1992. Santa Cruz, CA, followed shortly after in 1994. The idea really began to gain momentum after 2014. That year, Minneapolis, MN, Grand Rapids, MN, and Seattle, WA, renamed Columbus Day "Indigenous Peoples' Day." Since then, over 100 cities and entire states, including Alaska and Oregon, have adopted Indigenous Peoples' Day.
In 2020, Colorado replaced Columbus Day with Cabrini Day in honor of Frances Xavier Cabrini. The Italian-American Roman Catholic nun helped establish over 67 schools, hospitals, and orphanages, in the United States and South and Central America. In 2021, President Joe Biden became the first sitting US president to issue a presidential proclamation marking Indigenous Peoples' Day. It encouraged Americans to celebrate the holiday on the second Monday in October, along with Columbus Day.
But not everyone thinks a name change is necessary. For Italian Americans, Columbus Day is the centerpiece of Italian Heritage Month, celebrated every October. They argue that the holiday honors the history of immigration, not the explorer. Therefore, they believe the name should be retained or changed to something more appropriate, like Italian Heritage Day.
Resources: History.com, Wikipedia.org, CNN.com, Interchange.com
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83 Comments
feeniealmost 2 yearsHonestly, I don't get Columbus Day. He wasn't the one who first discovered America. It was the Vikings. FYI
victoria_ellaalmost 2 yearsI think it's because he was first to owen the land he step on. Vikings just came and leaved. Which I think it's great. At least Vikings gave 300 year of freedom to the Indigenous Peoples.- feeniealmost 2 yearsFive hundred years before Columbus, a daring band of Vikings led by Leif Eriksson set foot in North America and established a settlement.
queen_squidalmost 2 yearsWait the Natives I thought WAY before the Vikings.
1232023almost 2 yearsThe vikings where the first white men to settle in America
techfashion0315almost 2 yearsHuh....🤔. I knew about Leif Erikson, but I never really thought about it that way. Good thought!
masterboiiialmost 2 yearsCool👍
albdc2012almost 2 yearsthe indigenous people were here before columbus so it should be indigenous peoples day
yaaminialmost 2 yearsI think Columbus should be kicked out but the Indigenous should be celebrated every day!
ghostedalmost 2 yearsYou got it girl
dance-machinealmost 2 yearsI Think it could be both so you can choose which one you would like to celebrate/commemorate but I understand the frustration of the indigenous people of the land. But I don’t really know what people think in America though bc I don’t live there. #indigenouspeople#columbus#discoveringamerica#celebration#america
avastormzandalmost 2 yearsI mean I get it but he wasn't the first one to step foot also why celebrate slavery I mean idk you kind of have to look at it in different ways it's your opinion- kd021811almost 2 yearsI choose both lol, celebrate columbus day or Indigenous peoples' day. You choose idk
- victoria_ellaalmost 2 yearsI think that its the way you see this hoilday. We can admire Columbus's courgage, but remember the cruel ways they did to the Indigenous Peoples that lived there for many years. I think we should remember the cruel ways they did to the Indigenous Peoples and not celebrate Columbus day. But as I said, its the way the people see it. ~ Victoria
summer_beachalmost 2 yearsI agree. He was brave, but he was VERY mean to the Indians who lived there first. But like you said, "its the way the people see it".
deafgirlhistoryalmost 2 yearsI know, right?? Indians, lived in America not Columbus, there no excuse for him to be super mean to them!
california_girlalmost 2 yearsI don't want to be rude, but Columbus didn't make it to America first. There is a ton of proof backing up, too. But, I still don't think we should change it. People should be able to choose what they want to celebrate this day as.- cuzudola-166542475346almost 2 yearsColumbus needs to be forgotten forever bye bye columbus
coolinalmost 2 yearssome people have different opinoins- deafgirlhistoryalmost 2 yearstrue