For many of us, President’s Day means a three-day weekend and an excuse to do some same shopping. But do you know the history behind how the holiday came to be?
President’s Day is honoured every year on the third Monday in February in order to celebrate the first US President, George Washington. Congress originally designated February 22 to be the official celebration in 1879, as that was George Washington’s birthday. It was designated as an official holiday for all federal workers.
The date was changed in 1971 as part of the Unifrom Monday Law to create more three-day weekends and cause fewer disruptions throughout the week. However, the United States has had some form of the holiday for nearly 300 years, as George Washington’s birthday was honoured by Americans back when the first President was alive.
The first President’s Day may have first taken place in 1778, when George Washington was leading the Continental Army against the British.
While they were stationed at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, a group of drummers put on a performance outside George Washington’s quarters to celebrate their general.
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After he became President, George Washington’s birthday continued to be celebrated informally with festivals, which included both balls and firework displays in states such as New York and Philadephia, where the first presidential homes are located.
Jeffrey Engel, the executive director of the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University, has said George Washington’s birthday becoming a large US celebration “began as a snub to King George.”
The holiday became a way for the US to establish a national identity after defeating the British, according to Alexis Coe, a presidential historian and biographer for George Washington.
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Ms. Coe said: “Washington did not love the limelight; he did not have patience for excessive praise or nostalgia, but he understood the importance of mythmaking,
“He was well aware that he was a unifying figure.”
Every year since 1896, Senate has celebrated President’s Day by reading George Washington’s 1796 farewell speech when he stepped down as President, as the general feared that if he died in office the role of President would become an inherited position instead of an elected one.
This year, Senator James Lankford, a Republican of Oklahoma, will deliver a historic speech on February 27.
Over the years, President’s Day has become a holiday and has also widened to celebrate the birthday of the 16th President of the US, Abraham Lincoln as his birthday falls on February 12.
In 2013, Barack Obama, the 44th President posted of picture of himself and First Lady Michelle Obama for President’s Day and in 2015 he celebrated the holiday by updating the biographies of all past Presidents on the official White House website.
