Columbus Day

Introduction
How did Columbus come to be celebrated in the United States?
Pros
- Pro 1: Columbus Day celebrates exploration, human curiosity, and courage.
- Pro 2: Many Italian Americans support Columbus Day.
- Pro 3: Columbus Day is a long-standing tradition.
Cons
- Con 1: Indigenous peoples of the Americas should be celebrated instead of an imperialist colonizer.
- Con 2: Italian Americans should be celebrated with a holiday connected to the United States and their unique culture.
- Con 3: Columbus Day glorifies oppression and violence.
From Pres. Benjamin Harrison’s “Proclamation 335,” issued July 21, 1892
Discussion questions
Sources

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images

Engraved portrait of Christopher Columbus wearing a hat, featured on the reverse of El Salvador's 5 Colones banknote, with intricate colored line patterns in the background.

The four voyages of Christopher Columbus.

Columbia warning Napoleon Bonaparte that she will deal with him after teaching John Bull (England) a lesson (1812)

Engraving of Columbia standing on a shell, seizing the trident from Neptune, who reaches toward her as waves crash around them; both are depicted with classical features.

Engraving of Columbia, personifying the United States, placing her hand on the shoulder of a Black Civil War soldier with a crutch and missing leg, standing on star-patterned steps.

Landing of Columbus by John Vanderlyn was installed in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in 1847

Columbus Day: Media

Should Columbus Day be celebrated?

Images

Engraved portrait of Christopher Columbus wearing a hat, featured on the reverse of El Salvador's 5 Colones banknote, with intricate colored line patterns in the background.

Should Columbus Day be celebrated?

A portrait of Christopher Columbus on the reverse of El Salvador's five colones banknote.

© vkilikov/stock.adobe.com

Columbia warning Napoleon Bonaparte that she will deal with him after teaching John Bull (England) a lesson (1812)

Columbia warning Napoleon Bonaparte that she will deal with him after teaching John Bull (England) a lesson (1812)

Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Engraving of Columbia standing on a shell, seizing the trident from Neptune, who reaches toward her as waves crash around them; both are depicted with classical features.

“Columbia Seizing the Trident of Neptune” by American portraitist Thomas Sully (1815)

Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Engraving of Columbia, personifying the United States, placing her hand on the shoulder of a Black Civil War soldier with a crutch and missing leg, standing on star-patterned steps.

Columbia speaking, with her hand on the shoulder of Civil War soldier who lost a leg in the war (1865)

Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (neg. no. LC-USZ62-102257)

Landing of Columbus by John Vanderlyn was installed in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in 1847

Landing of Columbus by John Vanderlyn was installed in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in 1847

Architect of the Capitol

Interactives

The four voyages of Christopher Columbus.

The four voyages of Christopher Columbus.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc./Kenny Chmielewski