Remembering Columbus Day

Words: 343
Pages: 2

I am concerned with the debate of what Columbus Day should be called. The two sides of the argument are those who want to call the holiday “Columbus Day,” and those who want to call it “Indigenous Day.” In this letter I will explain why this holiday’s name should be changed to “Indigenous Day.”

Columbus Day was first celebrated in 1792, as it was the 300th anniversary of Columbus “discovering” the Americas. From this point on, the celebration has continued on the second Monday of October. However, Native Americans have began protesting against the celebration of the colonization of the Americas. This was because of the diseases the Europeans brought over, along with war and the slave trade.

The voices of indigenous people crying out, “We