Columbus Day Though Columbus Day’s original intent was to celebrate Christopher Columbus’s historic landing in the New World, many groups feel that it should instead be a day of remembrance for the millions of natives who died as a result of colonization. Despite the contentious nature of the holiday, Columbus played an integral role in the creation of what we know now as the United States of America, and his voyages facilitated a massive exchange of goods between the New World and the Old that continues to this day. Regardless of how one feels about the holiday, Columbus had a huge impact on history, and the world wouldn’t look the same today without him.