Many of us grew up making the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria in art class for Columbus Day. We dutifully recited, “In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” We credited Christopher Columbus with discovering America. Later we would learn Columbus landed in what is now the Bahamas. After peaceful first contact with the indigenous peoples of this region, Columbus concluded they had treasures and stores of gold for the taking. He believed they were simple people with limited fighting strength and only primitive defensive capabilities. Under his orders, his men began to seize control of the island. Many Indigenous peoples in the New World were murdered and enslaved. Dismemberment and/or death were used as punishment for disobedience or resistance. His actions mark the beginning of the brutal and violent history of the colonization of the Western Hemisphere.  Columbus then moved on to the islands now known as Cuba and Hispaniola. He established a colony in what is now Haiti. It was the first European settlement in the Americas since the Norse colonies nearly 500 years earlier. In early 1493, Columbus returned to Spain bringing captive natives with him. Columbus made three additional voyages to the New World. In 1493, he explored the Lesser Antilles. In 1498 he sailed to Trinidad and the northern coast of South America, and in 1502, he explored the eastern coast of Central America.

Columbus was removed from his post as a colonial governor following accusations of excessive brutality toward the colonists and the Indigenous peoples under his authority in Hispaniola. In 1500, he was arrested, removed from Hispaniola, and sent back to Spain in chains. He spent weeks in a Spanish prison before being released and having his fortunes restored.

After his death in 1506, Columbus’ misdeeds were largely ignored and he was celebrated as the discoverer of the New World. In the last 50 years, historians have given greater attention to the atrocities committed under his governance, especially the enslavement and near-extermination of Hispaniola's indigenous Taíno population from mistreatment and European diseases.  

Supporters of the Black Legend allege Columbus’ misdeeds were exaggerated and he was the victim of Anti-Catholic sentiment that sought to vilify his accomplishments.

In 1990, the United Nations-sponsored International Conference on Discrimination Against Indigenous Populations in the Americas met in Geneva, Switzerland. The group discussed replacing Columbus Day in the United States with the celebration of Indigenous Peoples' Day.  Native American groups in the U.S. began to protest the celebration of Thanksgiving in Boston which they felt falsely commemorates the colonization of America as a peaceful celebration between Massachusetts colonists and Native Americans in the first years while ignoring the deaths of Native Americans from European diseases and violent confrontations over property ownership which was a foreign concept to Native Americans.

In July 1990, at the First Continental Conference on 500 Years of Indian Resistance in Quito, Ecuador, representatives of indigenous people throughout the Americas voted to designate 1992, the 500th anniversary of Columbus’ first voyage, as a year to promote "continental unity" and "liberation.

To commemorate the 500th anniversary of Columbus’ historic 1492 voyage, the United States Congress planned to hold a quintennial celebration in the San Francisco Bay area on October 12, 1992. In response, several historians and groups of Indigenous peoples objected. From their objections came the idea to launch a counter-celebration to recognize and honor Native American peoples and commemorate their histories and cultures. Indigenous Peoples’ Day in California was first celebrated in Berkley, California on October 12, 1992, the second Monday in October, in place of the U.S. federal holiday of Columbus Day honoring Christopher Columbus.

The United Nations established the International Day of the World's Indigenous People on August 9. This international holiday is recognized and celebrated by several nations.  Many cities and states in the U.S. celebrate Native American Day or North American First People’s Day in September, October, or November.

Photo credits:

By Viajes_de_colon.svg: Phirosiberiaderivative work: Phirosiberia (talk) - Viajes_de_colon.svg, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8849049

By Quinn Dombrowski from Berkeley, USA - Day 286: Indigenous Peoples Day, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63284246

By Kaldari - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=89173695

Sources for this article:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Columbus

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_Peoples%27_Day