The US celebrates Columbus Day to mark Christopher Columbus’s 1492 arrival in the Americas. Many places now observe Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead.
Origin
Columbus Day honors Christopher Columbus’s 1492 landing in the Americas. First celebrated in 1792 in New York, it became a federal holiday in 1937 and moved to the second Monday of October in 1971.
Controversy
Critics cite the harm done to Indigenous people. Many states and cities now observe Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
2021
President Biden issued the first presidential proclamation of Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
Today
Columbus Day remains a federal holiday.
First recorded celebration
The first Columbus Day celebration in the US was in New York City in 1792, marking the 300th anniversary of the voyage. In 1892, President Benjamin Harrison called for a national celebration for the 400th anniversary.
Italian American heritage
After the lynching of 11 Italian Americans in New Orleans in 1891, one of the largest mass lynchings in US history, President Harrison proclaimed Columbus Day as a gesture of conciliation toward Italian Americans. The holiday became a way for Italian Americans to assert pride and belonging.
Federal holiday
Colorado was the first state to make it a holiday in 1907. It became a federal holiday in 1937 by Franklin Roosevelt’s proclamation after lobbying by the Knights of Columbus. Since 1971, it has been observed on the second Monday of October.
Controversy
Critics point out that Columbus and later Spanish rule led to enslavement, violence and disease that devastated Indigenous peoples of the Americas. Many consider celebrating him inappropriate.
Indigenous Peoples’ Day
South Dakota replaced Columbus Day with Native American Day in 1990. Berkeley, California, adopted Indigenous Peoples’ Day in 1992. Many states and cities have followed. In 2021, President Biden issued the first presidential proclamation of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, alongside Columbus Day.
State practice
Many states, such as Vermont, Maine, New Mexico, Alaska and Hawaii, do not celebrate Columbus Day or have replaced it. Others still observe it.
What is closed
Federal offices, the Post Office, banks and some schools. Stock markets stay open.
Italy
Italy and other countries observe other related days. Spain celebrates October 12 as Fiesta Nacional de Espana.
First observances and proclamations
The first known Columbus Day celebration in the US took place in New York on October 12, 1792, organized by the Society of St. Tammany. President Benjamin Harrison proclaimed a national day of observance in 1892 for the 400th anniversary of the 1492 voyage, partly in response to the 1891 New Orleans lynching of 11 Italian Americans. President Franklin Roosevelt proclaimed it in 1937, and it became a federal holiday in 1971 on the second Monday in October.
Debate and Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Many Italian Americans see the day as a celebration of their heritage. Critics point to the harm that European colonization caused to Indigenous peoples. Berkeley, California, replaced the day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day in 1992, and many states and cities have followed. Presidents have issued proclamations for both observances in recent years. Federal offices, the postal service and banks are closed, though many private employers are open, and the stock market is open. Practices vary by state and local government.
Based on data from the Library of Congress and the National Archives
