Friday July 30, 2010
The History of Presidents' Day
February 10th, 2010
According to the Gregorian or “New Style” calendar that is in use today, George Washington was born on February 22, 1732, but according to the Julian or “Old Style” calendar that was in effect in England and her colonies until 1752, his birth date was February 11th. (This is because the new calendar added eleven days to the old date to bring the calendar year into step with the astronomical year.) So back in the 1790s, while Washington was still alive, some Americans celebrated his birthday on February 11th and some on February 22nd. (George Washington was born in a plantation manor house near Popes Creek, Virginia, in 1732. ©National Park Service)
Along came Abraham Lincoln, another famous US president, who was also deserving of a special day of recognition. The only problem was that he was born on February 12th, and so now we found ourselves with two presidential birthdays that fell within a short time of one another. Prior to 1968, this fact didn’t seem to bother anyone and things were running along pretty smoothly — February 22nd was observed as a federal public holiday to honor the birthday of George Washington and February 12th was observed as a public holiday (in most states) to honor the birthday of Abraham Lincoln. (Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site in Hodgenville, KY)
Then things changed. In 1968, the 90th Congress was determined to create a uniform system of federal Monday holidays, so they voted to shift three existing holidays (including Washington’s Birthday) to Mondays. The law took effect in 1971. As a result, Washington’s Birthday holiday was changed from its fixed February 22 date to the third Monday in February. This change was not without controversy. There was some concern that Washington’s identity would be lost (since the third Monday in February would never fall on his birth date of February 22nd). There was also an attempt to rename the public holiday “Presidents’ Day”, but this stalled in committee. “It was the collective judgment of the Committee on the Judiciary,” stated Mr. William Moore McCulloch (R-Ohio) “that this [naming the day "President's Day"] would be unwise. Certainly, not all Presidents are held in the same high esteem as the Father of our Country. There are many who are not inclined to pay their respects to certain Presidents. Moreover, it is probable that the members of one political party would not relish honoring a President from the other political party whether he was in office, no matter how outstanding history may find his leadership.”
The single holiday observance meant that the traditional 10-day separation between Washington’s Birthday (February 22) and Lincoln’s Birthday (February 12) had essentially been eliminated. However, while Congress had created a uniform federal holiday law, there was not a uniform holiday title agreement among the individual states. Even though most states with individual holidays honoring Washington and Lincoln shifted their state recognition date of Washington’s Birthday to correspond to the third Monday in February, some states, including California, Idaho, Tennessee, Texas and others, chose not to retain the federal holiday title and renamed their state holiday “President’s Day.”
From that point forward, the growing use of the term Presidents’ Day was largely a marketing phenomenon, as advertisers sought a catchall phrase to capitalize on the opportunity for three-day or weeklong sales. Gradually, the phrase “Presidents’ Day” took hold and today has become part of the everyday vernacular. Interestingly, in 1999, bills were introduced in both the U.S. House (HR-1363) and Senate (S-978) to specify that the legal public holiday once referred to as Washington’s Birthday be “officially” called by that name once again. Both bills died in committees.
If you are a traditionalist, you’ll be happy to know that even though Washington’s Birthday and Lincoln’s Birthday have been replaced on the federal holiday register with a single day, many communities continue to observe the original holidays by staging pageants and reenactments of important milestones in the lives of Washington and Lincoln. The National Park Service features a number of historic sites and memorials to honor the lives of these two presidents, and therefore it is not surprising to find that many of the birthday observance activities and events are held at many of these locations.
The George Washington Birthplace National Monument in Westmoreland County, VA, holds an annual birthday celebration on President’s Day and on the actual birthday, with special colonial activities held throughout the day. Mount Vernon also honors George Washington with a birthday celebration weekend and an annual free day (on the third Monday of February), which usually draws between 10,000 and 18,000 visitors on that day alone.
Annual activities to commemorate Abraham Lincoln’s birthday include: a February 12th wreath laying ceremony at Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site in Hodgenville, KY; Lincoln Day, held each year on the Sunday nearest February 12th at Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial in Lincoln City, IN, with a special program in the Abraham Lincoln Hall, followed by a wreath laying ceremony at Lincoln’s mother’s grave site; and special birthday programs at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Springfield, IL.
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TO THE MOST HIGH AND MIGHTY PRINCE
JAMES,
BY THE GRACE OF GOD,
KING OF GREAT BRITIAN, FRANCE, AND IRELAND, NORTH AMERICA, DEFENDER OF THE FAITH & C.
The translator of the Bible wish Grace, Mercy, and Peace, through
JESUS CHRIST our Lord.
A prayer for President Bill Clinton and for the current Commander in Chief: President Barack Obama and Vice Commander: Vice President Joe Biden.
Dear God, Creator of our spiritual system, please remain by President Bill Clinton’s side until he is fully recovered from his bypass surgery. May our Christian love and gracious intentions inspire healing in the true spirit of Christianity; may the inspirational stories of the Good News give the President continued comfort so he may abide in God’s soft sun light and the light from the twinkling stars. In Jesus Christ’s name. Amen
God you are the North Star for President Barack Obama’s Administration. May there be no controversies between the several States today; and may all insurrections and rebellions be rendered inoperable. God please protect the men and women who are competing in this 2010 Winter Olympics that is located in Canada. May God give us the strength to enter into a firm league of friendship with our hosting neighbor Canada; our British Brethren; and with all other foreign elite competitors whom Canada welcomes in the strictest of competition to fulfill their dreams and aspirations of becoming Olympic Champions at this Winter Olympics. In Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.
1509 “Heal the sick!” The Church has received this charge from the Lord and strives to carry it out by taking care of the sick as well as by accompanying them with her prayer of intercession. She believes in the life giving presence of Jesus Christ, the physician of souls and bodies. This presence is particularly active through the sacraments, and in an altogether special way through the Eucharist, the bread that gives eternal life and that Saint Paul suggests is connected with bodily health.” CCC
By Patrick Knox
PK