By Brooke Brinker, Staff Writer
On Oct. 12, 1492 – over 532 years ago – explorer Christopher Columbus discovered what became known as “the New World.”
Columbus embarked on a voyage across the Atlantic Ocean and discovered the island of San Salvador. While he is generally credited for the discovery of South America, as well as the Caribbean, there is about whether he was the first to do. Regardless, his actions inspired further exploration, which ultimately contributed to the founding of America.
Columbus Day became a national holiday in 1937, as established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt following the lobbying of the Knights of Columbus. The first state to declare Columbus Day a holiday was New York. Italian immigrants initially celebrated the 300thanniversary of Columbus’ landing to celebrate their heritage.
While Columbus accomplished amazing and adventurous feats in Western history, not everyone wants to celebrate him in modern times.
Columbus is controversial in many ways. Many Indigenous people view Columbus as a colonizer, as Columbus Day is associated with their loss of lives and land, according to USAToday.
“Some have said that he was particularly brutal in his treatment of Native people, while others have said that for his time, he was relatively restrained compared with those that came after him. No matter his personal comportment, his journey to the ‘New World’ fundamentally changed the story of our world. Obviously, this change was strongly negative for the Native peoples of the Americas, many of whom died either directly or indirectly as a result of the ensuing European colonization,” said Frank Orlando, a political science instructor at Saint Leo University.
Columbus utilized harmful tactics against Indigenous people, committing atrocities that included cutting off the arms and legs of children. In later years, Columbus forced Natives to work for money and even sent some of them to be sold in slavery, as reported by USA Today.
As a result, many people do not celebrate Columbus Day; instead, they celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day on the same day, as a sort of ‘counter-holiday,’ according to the U.S. EMBASSY in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
Columbus Day celebrates Columbus’ accomplishments, such as his explorations, while also honoring Italian American heritage, since Columbus was born in Italy.
Alongside the celebrations of his voyage, the day also honors Indigenous people who were mistreated by Columbus and had their land and lives taken from them.
