What Has Happened to Columbus Day?

 

This Monday is Columbus Day in the United States. The celebration of the holiday, observed on the second Monday of October, is now somewhat different from ones in the past.

The U.S. government established Columbus Day as a national holiday in 1934 to honor the explorer Christopher Columbus. The day recognizes Columbus's arrival in the Americas in October 1492.

Over more than 100 years, statues and memorials to Columbus have been put up in American cities as a popular historical person. But this year, many statues of Columbus have been attacked or are being removed.

In May, the death of George Floyd, a Black man, in Minneapolis, Minnesota incited¹ nationwide protests against police use of force and racial injustice². Protestors directed their anger at statues and monuments honoring Confederate officials from the American Civil War. They associated them with racial injustice, racism³ and slavery.

The anger led to attacks on memorials to Columbus around the country. Statues of the explorer were taken down in Boston, Chicago and many cities. The city of Columbus, Ohio, also reportedly removed his statue and "placed it in safekeeping."

A history of Columbus Day

The explorer, who is believed to have been born in Genoa in modern-day Italy, arrived in the Americas more than 525 years ago. He claimed most of the territory for the kingdom of Spain, which supported his expeditions.

The first reported celebrations of Christopher Columbus's arrival in America took place in the United States in 1792. The celebration was meant to mark the 300th anniversary of Columbus' arrival.

Later, Italian-Americans began celebrating the explorer as part of their cultural history. The Catholic charitable group The Knights⁴ of Columbus has long defended the legacy⁵ of Columbus. The group was founded by Irish-Catholic immigrants to the U.S.

After years of growing support, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared Columbus Day a national holiday in 1934. Since 1971, Columbus Day has been observed on the second Monday of October.

Observances on hold

Critics say that Columbus did not "discover" America since native people already lived there. His explorations helped open the way for a huge migration⁶ of Europeans to what they called The New World. This, they say, brought war, disease and death to many native peoples.

For years, Native American groups have opposed honoring Columbus. And some U.S. cities and states have moved away from honoring Columbus and instead observing a day for Native American people.

Wisconsin was among the states to declare the second Monday in October Indigenous⁷ People's Day. The state has recognized 11 Indian tribes within its borders. The District of Columbia declared its October holiday Indigenous People's Day for the year 2019. But it returns to Columbus Day this year.

In Oklahoma, Governor Kevin Stitt signed a law last year meant to satisfy both sides in the historical argument. The state recognizes both Columbus Day and Indigenous People's Day at the same time.

In 2020, many observances of Columbus Day are being cancelled because of restrictions⁸ meant to limit the spread of the new coronavirus.

Columbus Day remains⁹ a holiday for the federal government in all U.S. states and territories.

Words in This Story

knock –v. to his something in a forceful way

charitable –adj. done to help people who are poor, sick or in need

legacy –n. something that happened in the past or is received from someone in the past

1 incited   

刺激，激励，煽动( incite的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He incited people to rise up against the government. 他煽动人们起来反对政府。
• The captain's example incited the men to bravery. 船长的榜样激发了水手们的勇敢精神。

2 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

3 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

4 knights   

骑士； （中古时代的）武士( knight的名词复数 )； 骑士； 爵士； （国际象棋中）马

参考例句：

• stories of knights and fair maidens 关于骑士和美女的故事
• He wove a fascinating tale of knights in shining armour. 他编了一个穿着明亮盔甲的骑士的迷人故事。

5 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

6 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

7 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

8 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

9 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。