The Five Ways Gavin Newsom Is Redrawing The Christopher Columbus 'Maps' Of California History And Power

The phrase "Christopher Columbus Gavin Newsom maps" points to one of the most significant cultural and political battles in modern California: the complete overhaul of the state's historical narrative and the aggressive redrawing of political power lines. As of December 2025, there has been no single, high-profile executive order from Governor Newsom to remove a specific physical map of Christopher Columbus from a classroom wall, but the reality is far more profound. His administration has systematically mandated a total re-mapping of how California's history is taught and who holds political influence, effectively erasing the celebratory legacy of Columbus from public education and policy.

This deep-dive article explores the nexus of history, education, and political power under Governor Newsom, analyzing the legislation and executive actions that have redefined the state's relationship with its colonial past. The "maps" in question are not just paper—they are the historical framework taught to millions of students and the very boundaries that determine representation in Congress, making this a story of both cultural decolonization and high-stakes political strategy.

The New Historical Map: Newsom’s Reckoning with California’s Colonial Past

Governor Gavin Newsom has positioned California at the forefront of a national movement for historical reckoning, particularly concerning the treatment of Indigenous populations. This effort goes far beyond symbolic gestures, manifesting in concrete legislative and curriculum changes that fundamentally alter how the state's youth perceive figures like Christopher Columbus.

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The groundwork for this change was laid in a series of powerful official statements and legislative endorsements, which serve as the foundation for the new educational "map."

• Formal Apology for Genocide: In a landmark 2019 move, Governor Newsom formally apologized to California Native Americans for the state’s historical violence, mistreatment, and neglect, describing the actions of past state leaders as a "genocide." This apology provided the moral and political justification for subsequent decolonization efforts.
• Indigenous Peoples' Day: California has increasingly moved to recognize the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day, following the lead of cities like Berkeley, which formally recognized the day in 1992 instead of Columbus Day. While not a direct Newsom order, his administration has strongly supported this statewide cultural shift.
• California Native American Day Legislation: On California Native American Day, Newsom has signed multiple bills aimed at supporting tribal communities and mandating a more accurate, critical portrayal of history in schools. This includes requiring public schools to provide instruction on the historical maltreatment of Native Americans.

The Educational Map: Putting Columbus on Trial in K-12 Schools

The most direct impact on the "Christopher Columbus maps" in California is found within the state's K-12 public school curriculum framework. The new educational guidelines replace the traditional, celebratory narrative with a critical analysis that re-centers Indigenous perspectives.

This dramatic shift is encapsulated in the following key curriculum changes:

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• The New Framework: A new curriculum framework for California's K-12 public schools, which has been developed and adopted, presents a new way of teaching Columbus: putting him on trial for murder. This move is designed to teach fifth-grade students about the devastating impact of European colonization from a Native American viewpoint.
• Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum: The California Department of Education (CDE) adopted the fourth version of an Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum. This curriculum, which incorporates elements of Critical Race Theory, fundamentally changes the lens through which historical figures and events, including Columbus and the California Mission Project, are viewed. The goal is to provide a "fuller picture of the state's history" that includes the perspectives of marginalized groups.
• The Decolonization of Place Names: Beyond the classroom, Newsom's administration has pushed forward with broader decolonization efforts. This includes an executive order on reconciliation that led to the California Advisory Committee on Geographic Names initiating efforts to remove derogatory and colonial place-names from natural features across the state. This is a literal redrawing of the state's geographic map to reflect Indigenous sovereignty and history.

The Political Map: Newsom's Battle Over Congressional Boundaries

While the cultural conversation focuses on historical figures, the term "Newsom maps" also carries a heavy political weight, referring to the Governor's high-profile, aggressive actions in the national battle over congressional redistricting—a completely different, yet equally significant, redrawing of a map.

This political front demonstrates Newsom's willingness to use the power of the governorship to challenge national political norms, which he views as a threat to democracy.

The Redistricting Showdown:

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In a move that garnered national attention, Governor Newsom explicitly threatened to lead an effort to redraw California's congressional maps in response to what he and other Democrats saw as partisan gerrymandering in "red states" across the country. This was a direct, high-stakes political challenge aimed at offsetting the rigging of maps elsewhere.

The controversy centered on the idea of "fair maps" for Congress and the integrity of the democratic process. Newsom's stance was a clear warning: if other states continued their partisan redistricting efforts, California would respond in kind. This action, entirely separate from the Columbus issue, cemented the idea of "Newsom's maps" as a symbol of aggressive political boundary-setting.

Five Ways Newsom is Redrawing California's Maps

The convergence of these two distinct "map" issues—the historical and the political—reveals a consistent theme in the Newsom administration: a commitment to fundamentally change the boundaries of power and narrative in California. The following five points summarize how he is actively redrawing the state's conceptual and political maps:

1. The Moral Map (Historical Reckoning): By formally apologizing for genocide, Newsom established a new moral boundary for state governance, moving from historical celebration to historical accountability for colonial-era violence.
2. The Educational Map (Curriculum Reform): Mandating the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum and a critical framework that essentially "puts Columbus on trial" fundamentally re-maps the historical content taught in California K-12 public schools.
3. The Geographic Map (Decolonization of Names): His reconciliation order empowered the renaming of natural features, literally removing colonial names from the state's landscape and asserting a new geographic identity.
4. The Legislative Map (Tribal Sovereignty): Signing a series of key tribal bills on California Native American Day, Newsom has strengthened the legislative map of tribal sovereignty and rights within the state.
5. The Political Map (Congressional Boundaries): By threatening to lead an effort to redraw congressional maps in response to gerrymandering, he asserted California's power to influence the national political map and challenge partisan boundary manipulation.

In conclusion, the sensationalized search query "Christopher Columbus Gavin Newsom maps" is a perfect encapsulation of California's current political climate. The "maps" are not a single piece of paper but a complex, multi-layered set of new boundaries—moral, educational, and political—that Governor Newsom is actively enforcing. The era of celebrating Columbus in public institutions is over, replaced by a mandated historical reckoning and an aggressive defense of political boundaries on the national stage. This shift represents a profound and irreversible change in how California maps its past, present, and future.