There is an often-overlooked holiday in October to celebrate European exploration and discovery of the North American continent. No, it is not Columbus Day, but rather Leif Erikson Day, which is observed on October 9. This holiday originated as a way to celebrate the man who many believe should get the real credit for “discovering” the continent — Viking explorer Leif Erikson, not Christopher Columbus (via Time). “Discovery,” though, seems to be too nice of a word for the real reasons this holiday came to be — namely, the two big Rs: racism and religion. 

For Americans of northern European descent, they struck a true claim that Leif Erikson arrived on the North American continent centuries before Christopher Columbus. This was also, however, a loose avenue to promote Erikson over Columbus due to Erikson’s more perceived and pronounced “whiteness.” Such a sentiment was even promoted in academia when in 1874, Rasmus B. Anderson, of the University of Wisconsin, published “America Not Discovered by Columbus.” In the book, Anderson elevated Erikson as the first white man to set his sights on what would come to be America and even by bringing some of the democratic institutions — like voting and representative government — that Americans hold dear today.

Northern European immigrants arrived in the United States en masse in the early 19th century, meaning they had a firm foothold by the time southern European immigrants — to include darker-skinned Italians — started arriving decades later. These immigrants brought with them the story of Christopher Columbus’ great discovery of the “New World.” This frightened those of northern European descent, who wanted to promote Leif Erikson’s story and, thus, his “whiteness,” over that of Columbus.

Leif Erikson Day: A day to promote Protestantism over Catholicism

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