Presidents Day,
from wooden teeth to the Purple Heart
In January I wrote about how the holiday to honor Martin Luther King Jr. came to be. That scratched my curiosity on other holidays and the traditions.
Starting with Washington
Presidents Day is a federal holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February, Feb. 20 this year. Presidents Day was first established in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington’s birthday, Feb. 22. With the death of Washington in 1799 at the age of 67, his date of birth became a day of remembrance. At the time he was considered the most important figure in the brief history of America. The centennial of his birth, 1832, prompted festivities nationally, and Congress established a joint committee to arrange for the occasion. The committee recommended Congress adjourn on Feb. 22, 1832, to honor his memory and in commemoration of his birth.
Citizens of Philadelphia had petitioned Congress to commemorate the 130th anniversary of Washington’s birth by reading Washington’s Farewell Address at a joint session. It was also meant as a morale booster during the darkest days of the Civil War. On Feb. 22, 1862, members gathered in the House Chamber to hear the address read by the secretary of state. In 1888 the Senate recalled the ceremony and had its presiding officer read the address. An enduring tradition that has occurred since 1896, the Senate has observed Washington’s birthday by selecting a member, alternating parties, to read the address. You can read it here at govinfo.gov/content/ pkg/GPO-CDOC-106sdoc21/pdf/GPOCDOC-106sdoc21.pdf.
Becoming official
Washington’s birthday first became a legal holiday with Congressional action on Jan. 31, 1879, when it was added to the list of holidays to be observed by federal employees in the District of Columbia. It was not designated as a paid holiday, with some being paid and others were not.
Congress resolved this in 1885 with legislation that all government employees would be paid for the federal holidays, and it was applicable to all federal employees, including those outside of the Washington, D.C., area.
In 1968 Congress passed the Monday Holiday Law to “provide uniform annual observance to certain legal public holidays on Mondays.” The act also included a provision to combine the celebration of Washington’s birthday with the birthday of Abraham Lincoln, Feb. 12. The act became effective in 1971. Soon the retail business sector saw marketing opportunities for the three-day weekend with “Presidents Day” sales.
Ties to Purple Heart
From History.com: On Aug. 7, 1782, in Newburgh, New York, General George Washington, the commander in chief of the Continental Army, creates the “Badge for Military Merit,” a decoration consisting of a purple, heart-shaped piece of silk, edged with a narrow binding of silver, with the word Merit stitched across the face in silver.
The badge was to be presented to soldiers for “any singularly meritorious action” and permitted its wearer to pass guards and sentinels without challenge. The honoree’s name and regiment were also to be inscribed in a “Book of Merit.”
The “Book of Merit” was lost, and the decoration was largely forgotten until 1927, when General Charles P. Summerall, the U.S. Army chief of staff, sent an unsuccessful draft bill to Congress to “revive the Badge of Military Merit.”
In 1931, Summerall’s successor, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, took up the cause, hoping to reinstate the medal in time for the bicentennial of George Washington’s birth. On Feb. 22, 1932, Washington’s 200th birthday, the U.S. War Department announced the creation of the “Order of the Purple Heart.”
The Order of the Purple Heart is awarded to members of the U.S. armed forces who have been killed or wounded in action against an enemy. It is also awarded to soldiers who have suffered maltreatment as prisoners of war.
Fun facts
What money is Washington on?
Washington appeared on several coins in the late 1700s. He appears on several versions of quarters, the 2007 Presidential dollar coin, some commemorative coins and $1 bills. Washington also appeared on U.S. Notes and certificates throughout history.
And what mountain? Artist Gutzon Borglum selected the faces to be on Mt. Rushmore. Borglum chose Washington to be the most prominent figure, representing the birth of the United States.
Did George Washington have wooden teeth? George Washington’s failing teeth were well documented. The dentures were made of human and probably cow and horse teeth, ivory, lead-tin alloy, copper and silver alloy. The dentures took on a wooden look due to stains.
And what of that famous cherry tree? Mason Locke Weems’ biography, The Life of Washington, included the cherry tree myth in the book’s fifth edition. It’s a lesson in telling the truth and forgiveness.