The Fascist Roots of Columbus Day
A statue of explorer Christopher Columbus after its beheading by an unknown vandal. (Photo by Sarah Betancourt)
This article was originally published by CommonWealth Magazine on June 25, 2020.
The modern-day holiday has an inglorious history.
by Patrick Breen
AS STATUES OF Christopher Columbus are toppled (or beheaded), from St. Paul to Richmond to Boston, Americans are beginning to question the motive for raising certain historical actors to mythical status. Though almost every American will recognize Columbus’s name, the origins of the calendar-recognized October holiday remain insidiously unfamiliar to most people.
While most arguments in favor of ending the tributes to Columbus focus on the history of the carnage he directed at indigenous people on the Caribbean islands...