NY Gala 2026 Recap
Relive our 50th Gala
Decades before Washington, D.C. existed, Americans had already begun calling their newly formed nation “Columbia,” a poetic name derived from Christopher Columbus that appeared in Revolutionary-era songs, poems, and speeches as a symbol of the young republic’s identity. In 1791, this name was formally given to the new federal district. Using historical and literary sources from the era explain how Columbus’s name became a symbol of the nation itself, and how that legacy is still visible in Washington, D.C. today through its name and its monuments, including the recently restored Columbus Memorial Fountain.
