Episode 45: Why Americans Argue About Columbus Day
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When people in Europe think about American holidays, they often imagine Thanksgiving, Independence Day with fireworks, or Halloween with costumes. But there are other holidays in the United States that are less well known abroad, but still very important. One of these is Columbus Day, celebrated each October.
This holiday remembers the arrival of Christopher Columbus to the Americas in 1492. For a long time, it was seen as a celebration of exploration and of European roots in the new world. In recent years, however, it has become one of the most debated holidays in the United States. Many people in the US now see this holiday very differently. In fact, many states and cities have stopped celebrating Columbus Day and instead celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day, which honors the native peoples who lived in the Americas long before Columbus arrived.
For people outside the US this might be surprising. Columbus himself was from Italy and worked for Spain. Why then is the United States so deeply connected to him, and why has this holiday become so controversial?
Christopher Columbus was an Italian sailor from Genoa, Italy. In 1492, he crossed the Atlantic Ocean with the support of Spain. Instead of reaching Asia, as he had hoped, he landed in the Caribbean islands. His voyages opened the door to European exploration, settlement, and colonization of the Americas.
Even though Columbus never reached the land that is today the United States, his journey became a powerful symbol .For many Europeans in the centuries that followed, Columbus represented courage, discovery, and progress. And for Americans in later generations, he came to symbolize the “start” of their history.
The first big celebration of Columbus in the United States happened in 1792 on the 300th anniversary of his first voyage, but the holiday became much more important in the 19th century, especially for Italian immigrants.
At that time, Italians were moving to the US in large numbers, and many faced discrimination. Columbus, as a famous Italian Catholic, became a symbol of pride for them. Celebrating him was a way to say, “We belong here, too. We are part of American history.”
By the 20th century, parades and community [00:05:00] events had become common. In 1937, president Franklin Roosevelt made Columbus Day a national holiday. It was celebrated on October 12th until 1971, when the government moved it to the second Monday of each October, in order to create a long weekend.
In cities with many Italian-Americans like New York, Boston, and Chicago. Columbus Day became a day for parades, marching bands, decorated floats, and community groups filled the streets. Italian flags waved next to American ones, and the holiday felt like a mix of cultural pride and national celebration.
For schools. Columbus Day was often a time to tell stories about Christopher Columbus. Many children learned simplified [00:06:00] versions of his journey, sometimes with myths—for example, that he “proved” the earth was round.
For many decades, the holiday was positive and without controversy, but that changed in the late 20th century. As historians studied Columbus more closely, a darker picture appeared. Columbus’s expeditions were not only about discovery, but also about violence, slavery, and exploitation when he arrived in the Caribbean. He forced the Indigenous people there into hard labor and punished them brutally if they refused. He also brought new diseases, which killed large numbers of native people.
For many Native Americans, Columbus is not a hero at all. His arrival marks the beginning of many centuries of colonization, [00:07:00] the taking of lands, and the destruction of cultures.
By the 1990s protests against Columbus Day had become common. People asked, “Why celebrate a man whose actions caused so much suffering?”
In 1992, the city of Berkeley, California became the first city in the US to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Instead of honoring Columbus, they wanted the day to celebrate native peoples, their cultures, and their survival.
At first, this idea spread slowly. But in the 2000s, more states and cities joined in. Today, more than half of US states recognized Indigenous Peoples day In some way. In 2021, President Joe Biden became the first US President to officially declare Indigenous Peoples’ Day at the national level, even as Columbus Day is still legally a federal holiday.
[08:00:00] This change is about more than names. It shows a shift in how Americans think about their history and whose voices should be heard. For native communities, the recognition brings dignity and a chance to, and a chance to tell their side of the story.
Of course, not everyone agrees with changing Columbus Day. Italian-American organizations often continue to defend it. For them, Columbus is not only about the past, but also about the struggles of immigrants who found acceptance in America. Removing the holiday can feel like erasing their story.
On the other hand, critics argue that celebrating [00:09:00] Columbus glorifies colonialism. They say it is better to choose another day to celebrate Italian-American heritage, and to use October to honor Indigenous peoples instead.
In the middle, some suggest a compromise keeping Columbus Day, but teaching a more complete history, or celebrating both Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples’ Day together.
The way the holiday is marked today depends on where in the US you are. In New York and Chicago. Columbus Day parades are still large events, especially in Italian neighborhoods. In places like Seattle, Minneapolis, or many cities in California, the day is now called Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Celebrations there include cultural performances, storytelling, and ceremonies led by Native American [00:10:00] communities. For many people, especially outside big cities, the holiday is simply a day off (though not all employers give it to their employees as a paid holiday).
Columbus is remembered in other parts of the world, as well. In Spain, October 12th is the National Day of Spain. In Latin America, the same day has a few different names, but all of these versions generally celebrate the mixing of European and Indigenous cultures.
In Italy, Columbus is sometimes remembered as one of the country’s great explorers. This international context helps explain why the US holiday is not just about the US, but about wider connections between Europe and the Americas.
Whether people here in the US spend the second Monday in October at a parade, at a cultural festival, or simply [00:11:00] enjoying a day off, the holiday is a reminder of the complex meeting of Europe and the Americas. It’s also a reminder that each generation decides how to remember history.
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