![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() READ MORE: Why Columbus Day Courts Controversy Mythologized by Protestants and Catholics alike But as modern historians began to spotlight the brutal side of the explorer’s legacy-especially relative to native communities-calls to abolish Columbus Day, or replace it with Indigenous People’s Day, have transformed the annual celebration of Italian pride into a flashpoint of controversy. Putting an Italian face on the hero of America's origin story gave them a powerful symbol of their own Americanness, while the Columbus Day holiday gave them a national platform to bask in his reflective glow and celebrate their heritage. But it would take almost 200 more years-and a century-long campaign by Italian Americans-to establish a federal holiday in his name.Įarly Italian immigrants, facing intense discrimination, had good reason to embrace the Genoa-born seafarer. Americans have celebrated his arrival as far back as 1792, the 300th anniversary of his landing. Christopher Columbus has long been exalted as a heroic figure in American history: the first explorer to establish a European presence in the New World. ![]()
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