The dark and tragic history behind this annual, federal holiday.
The second Monday of October every year is designated as a federal holiday known as Columbus Day. It’s important to understand the origins of Columbus Day which have less to do with the Italian explorer than you may assume.
You might be wondering, how and why was this federal holiday created?
Italian immigrants faced great violence and injustice in the late 1800s in the United States. On March 14, 1891, eleven working-class Italian immigrants were lynched in New Orleans. It was the largest mass lynching in the American South. It was initiated due to institutionalized discrimination and took place the day after nine of the men had been acquitted in the trial of the murder of the New Orleans police chief. The hostility and severity of the lynching came to the attention of then-President, Benjamin Harrison.
Italian Americans and leaders of the Kingdom of Italy were horrified by this tragic event. Italy severed diplomatic relations with the United States and removed its ambassador from Washington. The Harrison Administration removed the U.S. delegation from Rome. President Harrison didn’t publicly speak on the matter until his December address to Congress. He called the murders “a most deplorable and discreditable incident” and an “offense against law and humanity.”
President Harrison chose to make things right and show the world a different side of America - not a land of violence and hostility. He decided to take action in two ways. First, he agreed to pay each family of the lynched Italians $25,000. Then, he decided to use his presidential power to acknowledge the contributions of Italians and Italian Americans to the United States. He concluded that it would affirm the place of Italians in the United States if there was a Presidential Proclamation to honor a prominent Italian. He considered a list of notable Italians and landed on Christopher Columbus since 1892 marked the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ voyage to the new world. President Harrison proclaimed Columbus Day as a one-time national holiday - a celebration of the Italian-born explorer, repairing diplomatic tensions with Italy and gaining support from Italian Americans.
The Kingdom of Italy announced it would give the United States a statue of Christopher Columbus in response to this grand gesture. It was to be delivered to New York City for the Columbus Day celebration. This was an overwhelming symbol of belonging, acceptance, and forgiveness for the Italian American community. The intent for Columbus Day was to be a one-time holiday. The day grew in popularity to have an annual observance. It became an American federal holiday and Columbus Day is a bold symbol of Italian identity and the contributions of Italian Americans in the United States. It is a day that has evolved to be an expression of Italian American heritage and pride.