Columbus has been referred to as the man who brought slavery to the New World and Syphilis to the Old.  In the sense that his methods included imperialism and genocide under the cloak of christianity, in a fervent, some might say insane, quest for gold and land; then yes, I suppose it could be called part of the American tradition---Just not one of the good parts, and certainly not one to unite anyone.

The stain of Columbus's actions in the face of a friendly, welcoming Arawak people is with us to this day; and his methods of duplicity, slavery, and extermination were commonplace in America well into the 19th century.  Much blood has been shed, and many heinous crimes committed, for the ideals he espoused, but his own actions comprise one of the darker chapters of what is called the Columbian Exchange.