The history of Columbus Day

ALBANY, N.Y. ( NEWS10 ) -300 years after Columbus sailed the ocean blue, Columbus Day was first celebrated by Italian Americans. Years later, parades would happen in New York City and spread to Albany.

“Italian Americans were not treated as equal to other United States citizens,” said Kathryn Kosto, Executive Director of the Albany County Historical Association. “There was prejudice against immigrants from Italy and also prejudice against their Catholicism. So this was a way to celebrate the achievements of Italian Americans.”

According to The White House, President Benjamin Harrison founded the day in 1892; one year after an attack killed 11 Italian Americans. However, Kosto says there has been a growing awareness of the impact Columbus really had on the New World.

“Large losses of life through disease. In some cases, up to 90% of Native Americans were impacted. There’s also the impact of deeply unjust trading practices and also the regrettable institution of enslavement of Native Americans as well.”

Kosto adds that in the 1400s, being able to sail from Europe to what was originally thought to be the Indies was a remarkable feat. “This was a moment of technological expansion, it was a moment of trade expansion, and it was a moment of contact between European cultures and Native American cultures. And it’s from this very complicated interchange that we have the many approaches and many celebrations contained within Columbus Day.”

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NEWS10 ABC.