Not everyone thinks the U.S. should celebrate Columbus Day

WASHINGTON, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- The observance of Columbus Day Monday in the United States is controversial as American Indians say the explorer's arrival marked a decline in their fortunes.

Though Christopher Columbus is celebrated by many as the person who discovered America, there are some people in the United States who have called for an end to the federal holiday honoring him, ABC News reported Monday.

South Dakota, for instance, observes the second Monday in October as Native American Day, not Columbus Day, in honor of American Indians who suffered from brutality and enslavement at the hands of Columbus and his men after they arrived in the New World.

Others have called for the holiday to be observed as Exploration Day.

But some Italian Americans say the holiday celebrates their heritage and the generations of Italians who have contributed to the development of the United States, ABC News said. These supporters claim Columbus, who was Italian, as a source of pride.