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What you should know about the history of Columbus

Posted on by Kennedy
What you should know about the history of Columbus

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Monday is increasingly becoming known as Indigenous Peoples Day, a commemoration of Native American history and culture.

While the second Monday in October has always been celebrated as Columbus Day and is still federally recognized as such, many are pushing to abolish the holiday to recognize the atrocities Columbus committed against the people living in the Americas long before his arrival .

Indigenous Peoples Day has been recognized nationwide by proclamation for three years. In 2023, President Joe Biden proclaimed the day to “honor the perseverance and courage of Indigenous peoples.”

Although Indigenous Peoples Day is not recognized across the United States, advocates say it is important to denounce Columbus' violent history and recognize Native American communities today.

Here's what you should know:

More: The Pilgrims did not invite the Native Americans to a feast. Why the Thanksgiving Myth Matters.

Is Indigenous Peoples Day an official holiday?

It depends on where you live, but Columbus Day is still a federal holiday.

Approximately 29 states and Washington, DC do not celebrate Columbus Day. According to renamecolumbusday.org, about 216 cities have renamed it or replaced it with “Indigenous Peoples Day.” Some states recognize Indigenous Peoples Day by proclamation, while others consider it an official holiday.

At the federal level, Indigenous Peoples Day has been presidentially proclaimed by the Biden administration for the past three years.

“Indigenous peoples are a beacon of resilience, strength and endurance, and a source of incredible contributions. Indigenous peoples and tribal nations continue to practice their cultures, remember their heritage, and pass on their history from generation to generation,” Biden wrote in the 2023 holiday proclamation.

Why do some states forego Columbus Day?

The elementary school lesson about the explorer Christopher Columbus sailing on the “Blue Ocean” is incomplete.

According to the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, indigenous communities lived in the Western Hemisphere for tens of thousands of years before Columbus arrived, and contact with European colonies resulted in devastating losses of life, traditions and land for the American Indians.

Critics of the current federal holiday point out that Columbus committed several crimes against humanity upon his arrival in the Western Hemisphere. Here are some examples of these atrocities, compiled by Philadelphia Magazine:

  • Columbus cut off the hands of about 10,000 locals in Haiti and the Dominican Republic for failing to deliver gold every three months.
  • Columbus cut off the legs of local children who tried to escape from them.
  • He helped sex traffic nine- and ten-year-old girls.

Moving away from Columbus Day and celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day helps recognize Indigenous perspectives and provides a more comprehensive view of history, the museum says.

By celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day, the museum says we can also honor the Native Americans who are still here and fighting for recognition and environmental rights.

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