The map
below shows his four voyages. At no point did he set foot on what would later
be U.S. soil, but he did see much of the Caribbean and parts of the coast of
Central and South America.
Despite
that, the capitals of Ohio and South Carolina are named for him, as are the
District of Columbia and the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest. “Columbia”
is also an old nickname for the United States in addition to the name of a republic
in South America.
Given his
mixed legacy, the celebration of Columbus Day (Oct. 12) has diminished in the
United States. Some want to change that day, still a holiday for some schools, state
governments, and banks, to Indigenous Peoples Day to commemorate the Arawak
(Taino) and others who suffered from European exploration and colonization
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