Most look at today as simply a day off, or an extended weekend, without fully understanding the history of it all. For some, they call it George Washington’s Birthday. Others, the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, but for most it is simply Presidents’ Day.
The idea of Presidents’ Day is one that started in the 1800’s, a year after George Washington passed away. At the time, people were enamored by the thought of George Washington so much so that they wanted to find ways to honor him. It was important to Virginians to have his legacy live on for generations to come. One way the state of Virginia chose to start honoring George Washington was with an event called “The 1832 Centennial of his birth.” Virginia wanted to name George Washington as a National Hero and because of this they fought to keep his remains in Virginia. The idea of doing so, allowed Virginia to be able to publicly display George Washington in an honorable light. This awards many the opportunity to witness the enormous impact Washington had not only in Virginia but for all of America. Unfortunately, Virginia lost this battle and George Washington was laid to rest with family at Mount Vernon. The 1832 Centennial of his Birth was a celebration of who George Washington encompassed as a man and leader. The next way the state of Virginia chose to honor Washington was by constructing a monument. This monument was completed on December 6th, 1884 and at the time it was the tallest building in Washington D.C. with the inscription “Laus Deo” which means, “Praise be God.” They chose marble and granite to complete the structure and in 1910 a law was established stating that no other building in the area can be taller than this special Monument.
What does this have to do with Presidents Day you ask? Simple, because George Washington was considered a Hero to America, they celebrated his birthday and often called it George Washington Day. His impact basically created a movement in which thousands of people chose to celebrate him every year on his birthday! The idea only began to switch when Congress began to introduce a measure at the time called Uniform Monday Holiday Act. This law was attempting to shift how Americans celebrated the President’s Birthdays (Lincoln and Washington). The idea was, if all Federal Holidays can land on a Monday, Americans will call out less due to having opportunities for extended weekends. This law included a clause where George Washington and Abe Lincolns birthdays were celebrated on the same federal holiday and fast forward to 2023, all Presidents Birthday are celebrated. Congress eventually got their way and in 1968 Richard Nixon signed an executive order into place allowing for one Federal Holiday for all past Presidents.
Why is this important to us? It is important to recognize why we celebrate this federal holiday. Especially now where it is easy to lose sight of the positive ways a United States President can impact us, especially the love and pride we have for our own country. President’s Day continues to remind us all on the importance in remembering our nations’ history and why we get to enjoy this extra day off.
Editors, History.com. “Presidents’ Day 2023.” History.Com, 26 Oct. 2016, www.history.com/topics/holidays/presidents-day.