Martin Luther King Jr. Day
You would think it would be a nobrainer to honor with a national holiday the man who led the movement to finally ensure that all Americans — including black Americans — were legally guaranteed the equal right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, as promised in the Declaration of Independence and guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. Even more so since he sacrificed his life in that cause.
But, no, it took until 1983 — 15 years after his death — before Martin Luther King Jr. Day became a national holiday.
Four days after King was assassinated, John Conyers, an African-american congressman from Michigan, took to the floor of Congress demanding a national holiday honoring King. His demand was ignored, but Conyers continued to introduce bill after bill creating such a national holiday, and slowly he gained allies, most particularly the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), which rallied its members in support of Conyers’ legislation. Alas, it wasn’t even brought to the floor for a vote until 1979, where it fell five votes short. Its opponents complained that another paid holiday for federal employees was too costly, and that King would be the first private citizen — he had never held public office — honored with a national holiday.
The tide turned in the early 1980s. By then the CBC had collected 6 million signatures in support of a national holiday honoring King, and in 1983, the nation commemorated the 20th anniversary of the “March on Washington,” in which King’s “I Have a Dream Speech” had electrified the nation and helped lead to passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act, finally guaranteeing equal treatment under the law to all black Americans. Further momentum was driven by a hit song honoring Dr. King, “Happy Birthday,” written by Stevie Wonder.
In September 1983, the legislation was again introduced, prompting a filibuster by Sen. Jesse Helms (R-NC), who cited King’s opposition to the Vietnam War and accused King of being a Communist. But the bill finally passed overwhelmingly in both the House and Senate, and on November 2, 1983, President Reagan signed it into law. It was first observed on January 20, 1986.
But not by every state. Several southern states observed it in conjunction with an observance of the birthday (January 19) of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, infuriating Civil Rights leaders, while Arizona, after observing it, rescinded it until 1992. New Hampshire and South Carolina finally made it a paid state holiday in 1999 and 2000, respectively, and in 2000 Utah finally changed the name of its holiday from Human Rights Day to Martin Luther King Day.
Today, finally, every state in the Union observes it.
Email author Bruce G. Kauffmann at bruce@history lessons.net.