History of President's Day
Rarely do we stop to think about the why's and the when's behind a certain national tradition. One of these national traditions would be the national holidays that we as Americans celebrate. President's day is one national holiday that generally few people are aware of the origin and the focus of the third Monday in February.
A Brief History
Originally President's day was not called by that name. Rather it held the name of the man for whom the holiday was created to honor: George Washington, the father of our country. In addition to George Washington's birthday on the 22nd of February was later Abraham Lincoln's birthday which fell on the 12th of February.
Each day was celebrated separately by most states until as recent as 1971 when a law was put into effect that essentially combined both holidays and in an effort to create a national uniform system of federal holidays was thereafter celebrated on the third Monday in February each calendar year.
Controversy
Although congress had ruled to combine both Presidents birthdays in observance, there remained some controversy as to what title should be given to the newly created holiday. While some argued that the holiday should be titled as "President's Day" which would essentially be an observance of all the persons who have served as president of our country, others felt that it was most appropriate to maintain the name as Washington's birthday.
The Debate Continues
This debate continued and while some states that had previously had observed separate holidays honoring Washington and Lincoln agreed to combine both to the third Monday in February and be aligned with the uniform federal holiday law, several states elected to rename the holiday as President's Day.
President's Day
Since then the phrase President's Day has been used by the marketing world to promote a weeklong or weekend sales event. Over the years President's Day has become accepted. However, in 1999 the debate was reopened and a bill was put forward to make the title officially as Washington's birthday.
The bill did not receive enough votes. Despite this consolidation of the two holidays, many states, communities, and even the National Parks Service observe the original holidays and a variety of activities are held to celebrate both Washington and Lincoln's lives. Most schools are out session, and many have the work day off to observe this special holiday.
President's Day also gives us a chance as Americans to celebrate each remarkable person that has, or is currently serving as the President of the United States of America. It helps us to reflect the sacrifices and dedication of those who have gone before us so that we can enjoy the many freedoms and opportunities that are made available to us.
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