Gold and silver were of particular interest to Columbus. The purpose of his expedition was to establish an alternative trade route to the East and return with riches. Spain was then a newly unified nation-state in competition with other European powers to expand its domain and amass great wealth. It commemorates the violent and bloody accumulation of capital for the ruling classes of Europe and, later, the U.S.Ĭolumbus’ voyage was financed by the Spanish monarchy. To celebrate Columbus is to celebrate a legacy of genocide, slavery, rape and plunder. But exactly who and what are being celebrated?
Schools close and government employees get the day off. This day marks the anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s 1492 landing in the Americas, his “discovery of the New World” for the benefit of the Spanish monarchy.Ĭolumbus Day is a day of parades, pageants and retail shopping bargains across the nation.
The second Monday of October is Columbus Day, celebrated as a federal holiday in the U.S.
