This past Oct. 12 there were two holidays printed on our kitchen calendar: Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples Day. Quite a study in contrast, and also in what I call evolving morality.
So when did Columbus Day become an actual thing in the US? As early as 1792 his exploits were being celebrated in New York and Boston. Not surprisingly, most of those who advocated for a Columbus Day celebration over the years were Italian Americans, seeing Columbus as an important part of Italian heritage. Different states declared a Columbus Day at one time or another, but it wasn't until 1934 that, as a result of the lobbying of the Knights of Columbus, that Congress passed a resolution asking the president to declare Columbus Day a national celebration, to which FDR responded favorably. But it wasn't until 1968 that it became a federal holiday.
In Latin America, Columbus Day is known as el Día de la Raza (lit. "Day of the Race") and has been used to celebrate Hispanic heritage. In recent years, both there and in the US, the general attitude toward Columbus and the day that bears his name (along with hundreds of cities, including the District of Columbia) has begun to shift.
Did earlier generations simply not know what we now know? That Columbus enslaved the indigenous people who welcomed him and his crew, that as governor of Hispaniola he used torture and mutilation to control the population? Or did we choose to ignore it in favor of celebrating what we chose to call the discovery of America, which in itself is not even accurate?
Beginning in the 1990's, the collective consciousness began to shift away from honoring the exploits of Columbus in favor of lifting up indigenous peoples everywhere. We are generally more awake to the mistreatment they have suffered at the hands of the more powerful. Indigineous Peoples Day is not yet a national holiday, but who knows --- it might be just a matter of time.
This is just one of many examples of how society's attitudes and moral measurements evolve over time. All across the American South, heated debates are being held over the placement -- or even existence -- of statues and other memorials honoring Confederate heroes.
I am not offering an opinion here as much as an observation. I also find myself asking more questions than giving answers these days. How will our attitude toward other things evolve that have been considered taboo or downright sinful in times past? Or vice versa -- things like slavery, once considered totally acceptable and now frowned upon?
I'm sure other examples come to your mind as well. I'd love for you to share your thoughts — just leave a comment below.