Columbus Day Or Indigenous Peoples' Day?
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On October 12, 2026, people across the United States will observe a holiday with two different names. Some will celebrate it as Columbus Day, while others will mark it as Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
Columbus Day honors Christopher Columbus, the Italian explorer who arrived in the Americas on October 12, 1492. But Columbus’s role in history has long been debated. Critics argue that his arrival led to the colonization and mistreatment of Native Americans.
Historians also point out that Columbus did not “discover” the Americas. Indigenous peoples had already been living there for thousands of years when he arrived. He was also not the first European to reach North America. A Norse explorer named Leif Erikson reached the continent around AD 1000. This was almost 500 years before Columbus’s arrival.
Due to these concerns, some states chose not to celebrate Columbus Day. Hawaii renamed the holiday Discoverers' Day in 1971 to honor its Polynesian founders. South Dakota began calling it Native American Day in 1990. Over the years, many schools and universities also stopped observing the holiday.
In 1977, a group of Native American leaders suggested changing the holiday to "Indigenous Peoples' Day." They wanted to honor those mistreated by the early settlers. Berkeley, CA, was the first city to make the change in 1992. Since then, over 100 cities and several states have adopted Indigenous Peoples' Day. In 2021, President Joe Biden officially recognized the holiday. He asked Americans to celebrate it on the second Monday of October, along with Columbus Day.
But not everyone agrees that a name change is needed. For Italian Americans, Columbus Day is an important part of Italian Heritage Month, observed every October. They say that the holiday celebrates Italian culture, not Columbus. Some have even suggested changing the name to "Italian Heritage Day."
The ongoing debate shows that history can be complicated. But no matter the name, the holiday is a time to think about the past and remember the people we honor.
Resources: Wikipedia.org, History.com, CNN.com
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19 Comments
- rojilijanumo4 daysI also think that it should be Indigenous People's Day because Columbus didn't ask for the land he just took it and that's not right its straight up rude
byrinizipino5 daysI also think that it should be Indigenous People's Day because Columbus didn't ask for the land he just took it and that's not right its straight up rude
enderking175 daysIn my opinion Columbus day (first comment😁)
dogs-jesus505 daysOk, in my opinion I think that it should be Indigenous People's Day, because Columbus literally ruined their lives and honestly I don't think he is the kind of guy that deserves a day named after him.
godismysavior5 daystrue but technically he kinda found America so......
baygle4 daysThe article literally says that he didn't find America, Leif Erikson did before him.
