The United States national holiday Columbus Day is celebrated annually on the second Monday of October. The purpose of the event is to acknowledge when Christopher Columbus, an Italian man, sailed from Spain with the intent to reach Asia, but landed instead in the Bahamas on October 12, 1492 and later in North America. The U.S. began recognizing this event in 1792, 300 years after the event, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt established it as a national holiday in 1937.

Traditionally, the holiday is celebrated as the day Columbus “discovered” America. In the 1490s, Columbus established the first European colony in the Americas and paved the way for the Pilgrims to immigrate and begin developing the America that is known today. However, the land was not discovered that day, as Vikings had established colonies in Greenland and Newfoundland many years before, and  Native Americans had been inhabiting the land long before Europeans arrived.

Columbus Day is celebrated most passionately by Italian-Americans who, in 1891, became victims of a mass lynching that claimed the lives of 11 people by a mob at a time when Italian-Americans were facing ethnic and religious discrimination. For some, Columbus represents a sense of adventure, ambition, perseverance, and the American Dream.

However, history has shown that Columbus’ actions were horrendous to the indigenous people of North and South America. Accusations of enslavement, rape, pillaging, infection, and even torture which the Spanish explorers inflicted upon indigenous inhabitants of the Americas has pushed many states to reject celebrating Columbus Day. Instead, these states celebrate the people who were negatively affected by the arrival of European immigrants. 

Many view Columbus Day as an opportunity for Americans to celebrate history, discovery, and heritage. They believe that a strong country is rooted in patriotism, loyalty, and reverence for majority leadership and country-centric education. Others believe the act of celebrating a man who was very violent and harmful toward indigenous people is offensive to current U.S. minorities. It detracts from the contributions that Native Americans, indigenous people, immigrants, and Black Americans have made to the development of the country. 

The question for debate, should Columbus Day be replaced with Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Texas?