-0While having the day off certainly encourages the public to recognize the nation’s celebration of Presidents’ Day, do students really understand the intricacies of the history behind this honored day?
This American holiday occurs annually on the third Monday in Feb. Presidents’ Day originated to honor and recognize the memory of President George Washington. Washington died in 1799, and he went down in American history as a respectable figure after gaining wide acclaim for his doings. After he died, the day of his birth, Feb. 22, began to be honored.
“Today, examples of human greatness are needed perhaps more than ever. In the hurly-burly of the crass and silly images in popular culture, film, and music, such examples are absent,” said Arthur Milikh, Associate Director of the Heritage Foundation. Milikh extensively commented on the need for a role model such as Washington because he accomplished so much through his courageous acts and leadership of the nation.
Interestingly enough, the celebration of Presidents’ Day does not actually coincide with the birthday of any previous presidents. Although George Washington, William Henry Harrison, Abraham Lincoln, and Ronald Reagan were all born in the month of February, none of their birthdays fall on the third Monday of February.
By 1855, the holiday extended from just the District of Columbia to the entire country. Presidents’ Day was the first holiday to ever honor and recognize the life of an individual person. Although it was celebrated earlier, Washington’s birthday became an official national holiday only in the late 1970s.
In 1968, the Uniform Monday Holiday Bill was proposed. Congress sought to move the celebration of certain holidays to specified Mondays, which would in turn create more long weekends for Americans. The idea behind this proposition lied in the hope that employees would not be as likely to skip work. Another portion of this bill desired to throw Abraham Lincoln’s birthday into the mix as well. Because of this, Senator Robert McClory coined the idea of naming the holiday “Presidents’ Day.” An executive order from President Nixon was issued in 1971 to confirm this bill.
“There was a time when Washington’s accomplishments were recognized each year. Now we are lucky if we learn about them in third grade or high school. Although there are many reasons for this denigration, it was all but assured by the ruining of his holiday,” said Michael Warren, Oakland County Circuit Court judge, co-founder of Patriot Week, and author of “America’s Survival Guide.” Warren described the way this holiday no longer does enough justice to honor Washington and instead has been altered through things like commercialization.
While Presidents’ Day may bring about new opportunities for companies to advertise long-weekend deals, its original purpose stays intact: to respect the work of each president who has served this nation.
