Steve Cortes, President of the League of American Workers, said his admiration for Christopher Columbus as a foundational figure in American history. He expressed opposition to what he described as Marxist efforts to alter historical narratives. This statement was shared in a post on the social media platform X.
"In this house Columbus is a hero," said Cortes. "led to the creation of the United States. united the New World with the Old. We will never submit to Marxists erasing history."
Columbus Day was established as a national recognition of Christopher Columbus's 1492 voyage, which marked the first sustained contact between Europe and the Americas. According to historical records, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed it a federal observance in 1937 following advocacy from Italian-American groups such as the Knights of Columbus. It became an official federal holiday through the 1968 Uniform Monday Holiday Act.
As of 2025, fourteen U.S. states, including Maine, Vermont, New Mexico, and Alaska, no longer observe Columbus Day as an official holiday. Instead, they recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day, reflecting a shift in public commemoration policies nationwide. The Pew Research Center reports that over 130 cities have also adopted Indigenous observances in place of Columbus Day since 2015.
Christopher Columbus’s expeditions established transatlantic exchange routes that permanently connected the Old World and New World, transforming global trade, agriculture, and culture. Scholars refer to this phenomenon as the "Columbian Exchange," which facilitated the movement of crops, livestock, and ideas between continents and contributed to shaping Western civilization.
