10/10/2026
On October 12th, 1892, on the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ landing on an island in the Bahamas, President Benjamin Harrison issued a proclamation urging Americans to mark the day as Discovery Day, the precursor to Columbus Day. So how did a man who never set foot in the United States get a federal holiday in his name?
To understand how Columbus Day became a federal holiday, we must look back at what was happening in the United States at the time. At the end of the 19th century, the United States was experiencing unprecedented immigration; in the 30 years between 1880 and 1910, 18 million immigrants came to the country.
As Italian Americans began to settle in the country's major cities, they often faced discrimination. Like the Irish and French, these largely Catholic cultures were demonized as out of place in Protestant America. For Italian Americans, celebrating Columbus became a way to celebrate Italian heritage while also demonstrating American patriotism.
The proclamation by Harrison was a calculated move to court the immigrant vote in what would be a losing election with Grover Cleveland. Later, Franklin Roosevelt would proclaim “Columbus Day” a day of observance in 1934, with remarkably similar aims, it was key to delivering Roosevelt the Italian vote in New York.
In 2019, Maine officially replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Today, we know what Columbus’s arrival meant for the Indigenous peoples. His arrival marked the beginning of European colonization, which brought violence, disease, enslavement, displacement and the loss of Indigenous lands.
Indigenous Peoples’ Day replaced Columbus Day because the issue is not simply recognizing another important part of our history, but reconsidering what we choose to celebrate now understanding the violence and exploitation associated with Columbus’s arrival and the devastating consequences of European colonization for Indigenous peoples.
Recognizing Indigenous Peoples’ Day allows us to acknowledge this history, honor the resilience and continuing presence of Indigenous communities, and ensure that their voices are part of the history we teach and remember.
