Columbus Day, 2020

Proclamation 10100 of October 9, 2020

Columbus Day, 2020

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

More than 500 years ago, Christopher Columbus's
intrepid voyage to the New World ushered in a new era
of exploration and discovery. His travels led to
European contact with the Americas and, a century
later, the first settlements on the shores of the
modern day United States. Today, we celebrate Columbus
Day to commemorate the great Italian who opened a new
chapter in world history and to appreciate his enduring
significance to the Western Hemisphere.

When Christopher Columbus and his crew sailed across
the Atlantic Ocean on the Ni[ntilde]a, Pinta, and Santa
Mar[iacute]a it marked the beginning of a new era in
human history. For Italian Americans, Christopher
Columbus represents one of the first of many
immeasurable contributions of Italy to American
history. As a native of Genoa, Columbus inspired early
immigrants to carry forth their rich Italian heritage
to the New World. Today, the United States benefits
from the warmth and generosity of nearly 17 million
Italian Americans, whose love of family and country
strengthen the fabric of our Nation. For our beautiful
Italian American communities--and Americans of every
background--Columbus remains a legendary figure.

Sadly, in recent years, radical activists have sought
to undermine Christopher Columbus's legacy. These
extremists seek to replace discussion of his vast
contributions with talk of failings, his discoveries
with atrocities, and his achievements with
transgressions. Rather than learn from our history,
this radical ideology and its adherents seek to revise
it, deprive it of any splendor, and mark it as
inherently sinister. They seek to squash any dissent
from their orthodoxy. We must not give in to these
tactics or consent to such a bleak view of our history.
We must teach future generations about our storied
heritage, starting with the protection of monuments to
our intrepid heroes like Columbus. This June, I signed
an Executive Order to ensure that any person or group
destroying or vandalizing a Federal monument, memorial,
or statue is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the
law.

I have also taken steps to ensure that we preserve our
Nation's history and promote patriotic education. In
July, I signed another Executive Order to build and
rebuild monuments to iconic American figures in a
National Garden of American Heroes. In September, I
announced the creation of the 1776 Commission, which
will encourage our educators to teach our children
about the miracle of American history and honor our
founding. In addition, last month I signed an Executive
Order to root out the teaching of racially divisive
concepts from the Federal workplace, many of which are
grounded in the same type of revisionist history that
is trying to erase Christopher Columbus from our
national heritage. Together, we must safeguard our
history and stop this new wave of iconoclasm by
standing against those who spread hate and division.

On this Columbus Day, we embrace the same optimism that
led Christopher Columbus to discover the New World. We
inherit that optimism, along with the legacy of
American heroes who blazed the trails, settled a
continent, tamed the wilderness, and built the single-
greatest nation the world has ever seen.

In commemoration of Christopher Columbus's historic
voyage, the Congress, by joint resolution of April 30,
1934, modified in 1968 (36 U.S.C. 107), has requested
the President proclaim the second Monday of October of
each year as ``Columbus Day''

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim October 12, 2020, as
Columbus Day. I call upon the people of the United
States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies
and activities. I also direct that the flag of the
United States be displayed on all public buildings on
the appointed day in honor of our diverse history and
all who have contributed to shaping this Nation.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
ninth day of October, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and forty-fifth.