Columbus Day is a Federal
Holiday in the United States
Columbus Day is a national holiday in many countries of the Americas and elsewhere. It is a Federal holiday in the United States. The holiday officially celebrates the anniversary of the day Christopher Columbus’s arrived in the Americas on October 12, 1492.
Learn the History of Columbus Day
Christopher Columbus was an explorer who was born in Genoa, Italy. He became a subject of the Hispanic Monarchy so that he could lead a Spanish enterprise to cross the Atlantic Ocean. They were searching for an new route to the Far East. The expedition instead landed in the New World. Columbus’s first voyage to the New World was on the Spanish ships Santa María, Niña, and La Pinta. The trip took approximately three months. His arrival started the colonization of the Americas by Spain. During the centuries that followed, it was continued by other European powers. They brought plants, animals, culture, human populations, and technology from the Old World.
The landing is celebrated as Columbus Day in the United States. In 1892, for the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s voyage, President Benjamin Harrison declared Columbus Day as a one-time national celebration. This was after a lynching occurred in New Orleans. A mob murdered 11 Italian immigrants. Harrison’s proclamation was part of a wider effort to placate Italian Americans and ease diplomatic tensions with Italy.
Many Italian-Americans observe Columbus Day as a celebration of their heritage. The first of these celebrations was held in New York City on October 12, 1866. The day was first celebrated as a legal holiday in the United States based on lobbying by Angelo Noce. He was a first-generation Italian living in Denver. The first statewide holiday was proclaimed by Colorado Governor Jesse F. McDonald in 1905. It was then made a statutory holiday in 1907.
In 1934, lobbying done by the Knights of Columbus and New York City Italian leader Generoso Pope led Congress to pass a statute. It said that “The President is requested to issue each year a proclamation (1) designating October 12 as Columbus Day; (2) calling on United States Government officials to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings on Columbus Day; and (3) inviting the people of the United States to observe Columbus Day, in schools and churches, or other suitable places, with appropriate ceremonies that express the public sentiment befitting the anniversary of the discovery of America.” President Franklin Delano Roosevelt responded by making a proclamation. It did not lead to the modern federal holiday. It was similar to language regarding Thomas Jefferson’s Birthday and Gold Star Mother’s Day. Later in 1942, Roosevelt had the designation of Italian Americans as “enemy aliens” removed. He announced this on Columbus Day. Roosevelt also announced a plan to offer citizenship to 200,000 elderly Italians who were living in the United States. They had been unable to acquire citizenship due to a literacy requirement.
In 1966, Mariano A. Lucca from Buffalo, NY, founded the National Columbus Day Committee. It lobbied to make Columbus Day a Federal holiday. These efforts were successful and legislation to create Columbus Day as a Federal holiday was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on June 28, 1968. It became effective beginning in 1971.
Starting on October 11, 1971, the holiday has been celebrated on the second Monday in October. Columbus Day is generally observed now by banks, the bond market, the U.S. Postal Service, and other Federal agencies. In addition, most state government offices, many businesses, and most school districts also observe the holiday. Some businesses and some stock exchanges remain open. Also, some states and municipalities abstain from observing the holiday.
Actual observances vary in different parts of the United States. They range from large-scale parades and events to complete non-observance. Most states do not celebrate Columbus Day as an official state holiday. Some mark it as a “Day of Observance” or “Recognition.” Most states that celebrate Columbus Day will close state services, while others operate as normal.
The celebration of Columbus Day in the United States began to decline at the end of the 20th century, although many Italian-Americans and others continue to support it. Many states and municipalities do not recognize it any longer. They have each replaced it with celebrations of Indigenous People’s Day.
