Columbus Day Protests

[Seamus Fermanagh]

As is said earlier in the thread, the reason why the day exists is because a group of Catholics wanted a Catholic hero/rolemodel for catholic children. It is about Colombus himself....

Columbus day had been celebrated in the USA for many years. The highest popularity of the celebration coincided with the USA's most "jingoist" era, from our centennial up until World War II. During this era -- when Kipling wrote of taking up the "white man's burden" without seeing anything hypocritical in it -- it is safe to assume that "revisionism" was not being applied to the rather superficial knowledge most yanks had about Columbus. Catholics used him as a standard bearer -- including my Knights of Columbus -- because he was both Catholic and moderately popular as historical figures went.

Working together, the Knights and a powerful New York Tamany Hall leader (of Italian origin) convinced the Democratic President from New York to approve the Federal Holiday. In the NE, Columbus day was the Italian-American counterpart to St. Pat's for many people -- a celebrate your heritage day.

Most Americans today celebrate the Holiday by watching ALL of Sunday Night Football without worrying about getting up the next day. A huge slice of them couldn't tell you why this Monday was a holiday and if you told them it was President's Day or Veteran's Day instead of Columbus Day they would probably agree with you and certainly wouldn't care one way or another -- except that they have the day off.