Thread by @antisocstudies

Ever wondered why the US celebrates an Italian who sailed for Spain almost 300 years before the US existed? Come along! You know the drill.

🧵(1)
#ColumbusDay #IndigenousPeoplesDay #History

🧵2 | At first only Italian-Americans celebrated October 12 (the “Day of Discovery”) as a way to unite under a single heritage in a country that was not accepting of Catholic/non-WASP immigrants. Remember: for most of US history Italians were not “white” and faced discrimination

🧵3 | Late 19th c “New” Italian immigration surged and so did nativist violence. In 1891 11 Italian-Am men were killed in one of the largest mass Iynching in US history. The Italian gov literally cut off diplomatic relations in response.

🧵4 | To restore relations, President B. Harrison paid $25k in reparations (to the Italian gov NOT the families of the men who were lynched…) AND he issued a proclamation honoring October 12 as “Discovery Day.” (Still not an official federal holiday.)

🧵5 | In the 20s nativist movements surged again, often in opposition to the growing popularity of Columbus Day. The KKK burned crosses to disrupt parades and opposed new statues of Columbus. They essentially saw it as a “woke” attempt to rewrite (white Protestant) US history.

🧵6 | Groups like the Knights of Columbus pushed for teaching of the contributions of minority groups (like Italian-Am) to combat white supremacy. It’s ironic, of course, that Columbus (the OG American colonizer) was their symbol & that white supremacists were so opposed.

🧵7 | In 1934, responding to political pressure and to secure his unwieldy Democratic “New Deal coalition,” FDR proclaimed October 12 a national holiday honoring Columbus. It was moved to the 2nd a Monday in October in the 70s.

🧵8 | Organized indigenous resistance really started in the 60-70s as part is the bigger civil rights movements. Two anniversaries: 1990 (100 years since a Wounded Knee) & 1992 (500 years since “Discovery”) sparked national conversations.

🧵9 | South Dakota (the site of Wounded Knee) switched Columbus Day to Native American Day but only a few other states have followed suit:

For a more in-depth look:

How did Columbus Day become a national holiday?