Columbus Day

Significance of Columbus Day

Columbus Day is an annual federal American holiday that occurs on the second Monday in October each year. Columbus Day is a day that commemorates the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas and his discovery of America on October 12, 1492.
 

History of Columbus Day

People, throughout the world, have celebrated Columbus's voyage since the colonial period. Historically, the Italian-born explorer set sail in August, 1492. He intended to chart a western sea route to China, India and the renowned gold and Spice Islands of Asia; instead, he landed in the Bahamas, becoming the first European to explore the Americas since the Vikings set up colonies in Greenland and Newfoundland during the 10th century. Columbus Day became an official state holiday in Colorado in 1906, and later became a federal holiday in the United States by proclamation of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1937.

The date on which Columbus arrived in the Americas is also celebrated as the Day of the Race (Día de la Raza) in Latin America and some Latino communities in the United States. Columbus Day 2023 celebrations are known to be controversial because the settlement of Europeans in the Americas led to the deaths of a very large proportion of the Native American people.

It has been argued that this was a direct result of Columbus' actions. It is clear that the arrival of the European settlers led to the demise of a large proportion of the history and culture of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. It has also been argued that Columbus should not be honoured for discovering North America, as he only went as far as some islands in the Caribbean and never got as far as mainland America.