This was previously published in our October 2025 issue.
Many people are familiar with the story of Christopher Columbus. The Italian explorer used Spanish funds to sail west across the Atlantic and is one of the most iconic figures in history. His holiday, Columbus Day, was declared in 1892 by President Benjamin Harrison.
However, in recent years, groups have begun to question his contributions, arguing that his actions against Native Americans deem him unfit to be celebrated each year. Many have made suggestions to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day, believing it is a way to reclaim Native American history.
Most recently, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation in response to those who wish to change its name, officially calling the holiday Columbus Day. As events continue to unfold surrounding this holiday, it’s important to remember that Columbus Day is not about hurting indigenous peoples; it is about recognizing the accomplishments of a transcendent explorer.
Further than this discovery, he began the Columbian exchange, a transfer of goods between the Americas and Western world. The Columbian exchange spurred advancements in both the Western and Eastern hemisphere, allowing them both to advance more rapidly. Goods such as horses, cotton, and weapons were sent west to the Americas while tobacco, potatoes, and cacao were sent east to Eurasia and Africa.
For example, horses increased the volume of goods transferred between tribes, since items could be moved more quickly on horseback than on foot. Additionally, cotton could be used both as a food source and for clothing, making it an important and versatile commodity. Weapons advanced warfare tactics and allowed for more sustainable hunting practices. All of these items helped the Americas and are often overlooked in the grand scheme of the Columbian trade.
Columbus is often blamed for destroying the population of native Taino in the Americas. This ignores that the main cause of Native American genocide was the unintentional spread of disease. Columbus had no way of knowing that he and his men would hurt the Native American population through the viruses they unknowingly carried. Because Europeans had built antibodies to these diseases, they didn’t have symptoms, but were still able to contract the contagion to others.
Additionally, many historical figures have lived lifestyles and made decisions that we look at differently today. For example, the University of Virginia reports that 12 of the first 18 U.S. presidents owned slaves. In today’s world, we know slavery is a horrible practice that undermines human rights. We understand that these presidents committed terrible actions by owning slaves, which should be condemned and looked down upon egregiously.
However, this doesn’t mean we need to condemn their accomplishments and positive changes. We still celebrate Presidents’ Day each February, in part to honor George Washington, who was a slaveholder of hundreds during his lifetime. No one has advocated for Juneteenth to be celebrated in place of Presidents’ Day. This is because we can both recognize that our leaders have made bad choices while also honoring them for the great things they´ve done for us.
Celebrating Columbus Day isn’t the same as rejecting Native American culture. We can celebrate both holidays, just on separate occasions. In the same way that African-American history should not be intertwined with George Washington, Native American history should not be intertwined with Columbus. Associating Native Americans with Columbus on their holiday will create focus on the negative aspects of their history. We can still celebrate Native American culture and contributions without taking away from Columbus.
No one can deny that Columbus committed violent actions while in the New World. He mutilated and enslaved Native Americans, causing them great harm. While these actions were terrible, it doesn’t mean we should stop celebrating his achievements. People deserve to be informed about mistakes made in our history so they can change and become better. Hiding Columbus’s mistakes behind the shroud of Indigenous Peoples Day won’t benefit anyone; it will only cause repetitive errors.
Columbus Day is a great and honorable celebration for a man who did so much for us as Americans and as world citizens. His actions expedited trading processes across the Atlantic, revealed two new continents to the Western hemisphere, and set into action an exchange of cultures that led to the societies we have today.
Some may look at the actions he made against Native Americans and see a basis for removing his holiday. However, just because historical figures commit terrible actions, it doesn’t provide cause for erasing their accomplishments, especially when these accomplishments were so vital for the people in their time periods and those today.
