Celebrating Presidents’ (Washington’s?) Day
Every third Monday of February, we celebrate Presidents’ Day, a holiday to honor the past and present leaders of the nation. However, it didn’t start out like that.
George Washington, the first president of the United States, was born on February 22, 1732. After his death in 1799, his birthday became a date of remembrance. It wasn’t a federal holiday until 1879 when then-president Rutherford B. Hayes signed it into law, thus the beginning of Washington’s Day.
In the 1960s, Congress proposed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. Through this, several federal holidays would be shifted from specific dates to predetermined Mondays in a calendar year. This was to encourage the creation of three-day weekends. By 1971, the act took effect, and the national celebration of Washington’s Day shifted from February 22 to the third Monday of February.
Another popular US president, Abraham Lincoln, celebrated his birthday close to Washington’s: February 12th. This started the idea of celebrating Presidents’ Day on that date, as opposed to just Washington’s and Lincoln’s birthdays. To date, four US presidents celebrate their birthdays in February, and none of their birthdays fall within the usual dates for Presidents’ Day.
Ultimately, Presidents’ Day as a holiday was popularized mostly by marketers looking to capitalize on the extended weekend through bargains and sales. The shift from Washington’s Day to Presidents’ Day was clear by the early 2000s when most state calendars had already adopted the change.
Though Presidents’ Day is a federal holiday, celebrations differ from state to state. Virginia, Washington’s state of birth, still celebrates his birthday. Other states focus their celebrations on Lincoln. Mostly, schools use this holiday as an opportunity to educate students about the presidents of the United States. Other groups stage reenactments and various events to celebrate.
Overall, Presidents’ Day is a lot like the Fourth of July, a day to celebrate and reflect on history.
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