Celebrating America’s Leaders

We celebrate the many great leaders of our country on February 15th. In the past, the celebration focused solely on Presidents George Washington but has evolved evolving over the many years since the holiday’s inception. Though it’s designated as Presidents’ Day in many cities and states, the February occasion we know today remains officially recognized as Washington’s Birthday by the federal government.

George Washington was born on February 22nd, which became an annual day of national remembrance after his death in 1799. Americans throughout the country celebrated February 22nd as an unofficial holiday for more than a century before it became a national federal holiday. But just because it wasn’t a federal holiday didn’t mean the celebrations were small. In 1832, the year of his hundredth birthday, America saw nationwide parades and a major procession in the capital attended by then-President John Quincy Adams.

In 1879, Washington’s birthday was designated as a federal holiday in the District of Columbia; it wasn’t until 1885 that it was expanded to apply to the rest of the nation. At that time, Washington’s Birthday became the fifth federally recognized holiday in America’s history and the first to celebrate an individual.

The expansion of the holiday to honor Abraham Lincoln came soon after the holiday’s date was changed. Both were a result of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which was implemented to increase the number of three-day weekends each year. Proponents of the Monday Holiday Act thought that by shifting several federal holidays away from specific dates to predetermined Mondays, worker absenteeism would be reduced, retail sales would get a boost and the travel industry would benefit. During the debate on that particular bill, some lawmakers proposed that the date be renamed Presidents’ Day as a way to honor both Washington and Lincoln (the latter was born on February 12th). Opposition to both suggestions arose out of a fear that including Lincoln and changing the name would overshadow the day’s initial purpose: to celebrate George Washington. Neither the name change nor official inclusion of Lincoln in the holiday’s designation was included in the act that was passed in 1968. It took effect in 1971, moving the following federal holidays to Mondays: Labor Day, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Washington’s Birthday.

Even though it wasn’t part of the Uniform Monday Act,

Americans began including Lincoln in their celebrations each year on Washington’s Birthday. When the date of the holiday had been changed to occur earlier in February, it fell between Washington (22nd) and Lincoln (12th) birthdays, so Americans began celebrating both. Presidents’ Day eventually became a commonly accepted name for the holiday, in large part because retailers used it to promote special sales that they held over the 3-day weekend. Though Washington and Lincoln remain the two most recognized leaders honored on Presidents’ Day, the holiday is generally seen as a time to recognize all of America’s great chief executives.

The United States has had 46 presidents, not all of whom were Washington-or Lincoln-caliber. Some have led this country down dark roads, others having injured or threatened to destroy the very pillars on which American Democracy stands. On Presidents’ Day, we look back on the legacy of our great Commanders in Chief who showed a deep commitment to and love for the people of the nation and world, worked diligently and compassionately to carry Americans through trying times.

Presidents’ Day gives us an opportunity to learn more about why many of these men have been celebrated since their departure from office.

Perhaps by taking time to recognize just how sacred our Democracy is—how easily it can be taken for granted, how dangerous (deadly, even) it is when people fail to recognize and honor the Democratic process— we move forward with a more united vision of what kind of people we want to lead us, our country and our world into the future.