Story summary
Contemporary debates about Columbus Day often center on Christopher Columbus's treatment of Native Americans following European colonization. However, less discussed is the holiday’s origin as a response to anti-Italian discrimination in America during large-scale immigration in the late 19th century. Italian immigrants, particularly those from Sicily and southern Italy, faced significant prejudice, being viewed as culturally inferior, prone to criminality, and unable to assimilate into American society.
The most notorious instance of this hostility was the New Orleans incident of 1891 when Police Chief David Hennessy was murdered. A group of Italians was arrested for the crime, but their trial ended with no convictions due to a lack of evidence. On March 14, 1891, an angry mob stormed the jail and killed eleven Italian prisoners, including those who had been acquitted or were awaiting trial.
This incident highlighted widespread anti-Italian sentiment in America at that time, leading to efforts by Italian Americans to establish Columbus Day as a way to celebrate their heritage and combat discrimination.
Written for “Columbus Day Controversy” on 2026-10-12,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
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Contemporary controversy over Columbus Day tends to focus on Christopher Columbus himself, and in particular on the treatment of Native Americans that followed European colonization.
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that → tend → colonization
Somewhat lost in the controversy is why Columbus Day became an important American holiday in the first place: in significant part, it was a response to the severe discrimination faced by Italian immigrants.
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it → lose → immigrants
The relevant history begins with large-scale immigration of Italians to the United States in the late nineteenth century.
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history → begin → century
Italians, especially Sicilians and other southern Italians, were widely viewed as culturally and sometimes inferior, prone to criminality, and incapable of assimilating into American society.
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Italians → view → society
The most infamous manifestation of anti-Italian hostility occurred in New Orleans in 1891.
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manifestation → occur → 1891
After Police Chief David Hennessy was murdered, a group of Italians was prosecuted for the crime.
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group → murder → crime
The trial failed to produce the expected convictions.
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trial → fail → convictions
On March 14, 1891, a mob broke into the jail and killed eleven of the Italian defendants and prisoners.
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mob → break → defendants
Some had been acquitted and others had not yet been tried.
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others → acquit → ?
The Italian consul described them at the time as "defenseless Italian prisoners."
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consul → describe → prisoners
The lynching caused a major diplomatic crisis.
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lynching → cause → crisis
Italy withdrew its minister from Washington, and in April 1892 the Harrison administration paid 125,000 francs to Italy for distribution to the victims' families.
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administration → withdraw → families
Secretary of State James Blaine expressed the hope that this would end the dispute and restore friendly relations between the two countries.
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this → express → countries
Six months later, on the four-hundredth anniversary of Columbus's arrival in the Americas, President Benjamin Harrison proclaimed a nationwide Columbus Day observance.
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Harrison → proclaim → observance
Harrison did not invent the idea of celebrating Columbus.
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Harrison → invent → Columbus
Americans had commemorated Columbus long before the 1890s, and the four-hundredth anniversary would have been a major event regardless of the controversy over Italian immigration.
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anniversary → commemorate → immigration
So it would be too strong to say that the New Orleans lynching caused Columbus Day.
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lynching → say → Day
Columbus provided Italian immigrants with a particularly useful American hero.
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Columbus → provide → hero
At a time when Italians were commonly portrayed as undesirable foreigners who could never become real Americans, Italian Americans could point out that an Italian stood at the traditional beginning of the American story.
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Italian → portray → story
Italian-American organizations accordingly made Columbus celebrations a major vehicle for ethnic pride and assimilation.
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celebrations → make → pride
In New York, Italian Americans raised the money for the Columbus monument at Columbus Circle, dedicated in October 1892.
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Americans → raise → October
Columbus Day parades combined Italian ethnic pride with conspicuous displays of American patriotism.
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parades → combine → patriotism
Anti-Italian prejudice, meanwhile, continued well beyond the 1890s.
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prejudice → continue → 1890s
Immigration restrictionists commonly portrayed southern Italians as inferior and inherently prone to criminality, and the immigration restrictions enacted in the 1920s drastically reduced Italian immigration.
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restrictions → portray → immigration
Columbus Day gradually became institutionalized.
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Day → become → ?
Franklin Roosevelt established an annual federal Columbus Day observance in the 1930s.
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Roosevelt → establish → 1930s
Italian-American organizations then spent years lobbying to make it a federal holiday.
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it → spend → years
Congress finally did so in 1968 as part of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act.
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Congress → do → Act
The National Archives' history of the legislation specifically notes that making Columbus Day a federal holiday had been "a goal sought for years by Italian-American groups."
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history → note → groups
None of this tells us what to think of Columbus himself.
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None → tell → Columbus
But that increased awareness has tended to obscure a very different part of the history of Columbus Day.
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awareness → increase → Day
It was also part of an effort to gain acceptance for an immigrant group that faced widespread prejudice and, sometimes, horrific violence.
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that → gain → prejudice
Whatever one thinks of Columbus, that history is worth remembering.
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history → think → Columbus
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