Remembering Columbus Day

This blog post was originally published on Bellmore Patch by Frank Melaccio and is being republished here.

Every October the United States and other countries observe Columbus Day to honor the anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ discovery of the “New World” on October 12, 1492. This celebration is one of the oldest in our nation’s history which dates back to 1792 when New York City and other cities celebrated the 300th anniversary. It was not until 1934 that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt officially denoted Columbus Day as a federal holiday.  

Many Italian-Americans observe this day as a celebration of their heritage. This historic celebration dates back to 1866 and grew in size over many years. The largest celebration is right here in New York City. As another Columbus Day comes, I challenge fellow Italian-Americans to remember the contributions of our own family members. It may come as a surprise but Italian-American influence in this country can be traced back as far as the Declaration of Independence.  

Phillip Mazzei, an Italian physician born in Tuscany, moved to Virginia in 1773 to lead a group of Italians to introduce the cultivation of vineyards in America. Thomas Jefferson and Phillip Mazzei became very close friends over the years. In fact, the great line “all men are created equal” is believed to have originated from Phillip Mazzei as historians have located writings from Mazzei that have the phrase written by him in Italian.  

From 1820 to 2004, 5.5 million Italian immigrants came to the United States of America. Today, over 17 million Americans claim Italian ancestry. Contributions from these immigrants and their descents have greatly influenced this country. Whether we remember the contributions of the great explorers such as Columbus, Verrazano, and Cabot or the great discoveries of Federico Faggin and Enrico Fermi, we know that the contributions have been endless.  

Just as importantly, many might remember the contributions of your own family members. Many served in WWI and WWII. Many of their children served in the Korean War and the Vietnam War. In an era where Italian-American contributions have been relegated to Jersey Shore and Mobster movies, it is important (now more than ever) to instill in the next generation a sense of pride in how our community influenced the United States of America.  

I encourage all those of Italian descent to remember your family’s contributions and please share them in the comments below. The only history we know, is the history that we save and share, that is why is it so important to instill in the next generation a sense of pride in who they are and where they came from.  

Happy Columbus Day!

Source: http://www.wikipedia.org/