On the second Monday of October, many people are meant to commemorate Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the Americas. It’s a federal holiday, which means non-essential government employees get a day off, and places like banks and post offices are closed. For many, Columbus Day is just another holiday—an excuse for a day off or an inconvenience for cashing checks.
Let’s take a moment to reflect on what we learned about Columbus in school. Most of us remember the rhyme: “In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” His ships were the Niña, Pinta, and Santa Maria. Fast forward to middle school, and we learn that Columbus was an Italian explorer who sailed west, hoping to reach China and India, lured by the prospects of wealth from silk and spices. After being turned down by various monarchs, he secured funding from Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, promising them a share of profits and a mission to convert indigenous peoples to Catholicism—an early example of colonialism.
However, when Columbus landed in the Bahamas, he thought he had reached the East Indies. The native people called the island “Guanahani,” and it’s likely he landed on what we now call San Salvador. The reality is that Columbus never actually set foot on the mainland of the Americas.
What followed his arrival was a series of horrific actions. The idea of “discovering” a land already inhabited is a fallacy. Columbus didn’t realize he had found new territories; he believed he had reached India, leading to the misnaming of Native Americans as “Indians.”
Columbus’s expeditions were driven by greed for gold and spices, but he found little of either. Instead, he resorted to enslaving the native population. On his second voyage, he took hundreds of indigenous people and sent many back to Spain, resulting in significant loss of life. His actions led to widespread suffering, forced labor, and the tragic deaths of thousands of indigenous people, who faced unimaginable hardships under his rule.
Bartolome de las Casas, a priest who witnessed the abuses during Columbus’s conquests, estimated that millions perished due to war, slavery, and harsh working conditions. Yet, many people still celebrate Columbus Day, seemingly oblivious to this dark history.
In truth, Columbus was not the first European to reach the Americas; that title belongs to Leif Erikson and his Viking crew, who settled in what is now Canada around 1000 AD.
Columbus Day, established in 1892, was initially a way for Italian Americans to celebrate their heritage in the face of discrimination, but it has come to symbolize a legacy of colonization and genocide that many argue should not be celebrated. There has been a growing movement to replace Columbus Day with “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” to honor the true history and suffering of Native Americans.
Instead of lamenting a closed post office, let’s take the opportunity to learn about the real history of the land we inhabit.
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In conclusion, Columbus Day serves as a painful reminder of a history that many would prefer to forget. It’s time to re-evaluate the significance of this holiday and consider honoring the resilience of indigenous peoples instead.