DENVER (KDVR) — The second Monday of October has been a holiday in the United States for more than 50 years, and while many in Colorado will be joining in celebrations this Monday, what are they actually celebrating?

Columbus Day was designated as a federal holiday in 1968, honoring the controversial explorer who came to the Americas when he landed in what is now the Bahamas in 1492. At the time, Congress believed celebrating Columbus honored "the courage and determination which enabled generations of immigrants from many nations to find freedom and opportunity in America."

In the decades that have followed, however, many in the U.S. have turned away from celebrating Columbus, as his voyages and legacy through colonialism affected the millions of Indigenous people across North America.

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