Presidents’ Day
Presidents’ Day, celebrated on the third Monday in February, was originally established in 1885 in recognition of
President George Washington. The day was set aside as
a remembrance to someone who, at the time, was was
respected as the most important figure in American history. The holiday was traditionally celebrated on February
22nd, Washington’s actual day of birth.
Why have a holiday honoring a citizen? Washington
was a man of his time: farmer, soldier, and commander-in-chief of the American Continental army. Once the
Constitution was ratified by the states, he was elected as
the first President of the United States and served two
terms. He set an example for future holders of the office.
His name and likeness grace schools, bridges, towns, the
nation’s capital, the 42nd state of the US, monuments,
currencies, stamps, sculptures and paintings.
In 1971, in an effort to create more 3-day weekends for the general workforce, Congress passed the
Uniform Monday Holiday Act. Washington’s Birthday
was now to be observed on the third Monday of every
February. This places the day to fall between the fifteenth and the twenty-first of the month. As Lincoln’s
Birthday falls on February 12th and began being celebrated by many states following his death, the holiday
began to be called Washington’s and Lincoln’s Birthday,
as I recall from early elementary school days. We decorated our bulletin boards with silhouette cutouts of the
two Presidents and learned more about them throughout the month. I can assure you there were plenty of
construction paper stovepipe hats being sported.
By the mid-1980’s, with a push from advertising firms
around the country, the term “Presidents’ Day” began
its public appearance. Advertisers began morphing Lincoln’s Birthday a