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What Is President's Day? History, significance, celebrations and everything to know about the federal holiday
Presidents' Day is a national holiday in the United States observed on the third Monday of February each year. It is widely observed as an honor to George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a measure into law in 1968, making the third Monday of February a holiday known as Presidents Day. Presidents Day falls on Monday, February 19 this year.
What is Presidents Day?
George Washington was the inspiration behind the original Presidents' Day celebration. On February 22, which was his actual birthday, people unofficially remembered him after he passed away in 1799. History states that the District of Columbia declared that day a federal holiday in 1879, and the entire nation adopted it as a national holiday in 1885.
History & Significance
President Washington's birthday, who served as the first president of the United States and as leader of the Continental Army during the American Revolution, was first observed as a federal holiday in the 1880s, which is when Presidents' Day got started.
According to the Department of State, the federal government still refers to the holiday as "Washington's Birthday," even though it was once simply called that.
Congress established the Uniform Monday Holiday Bill in 1968, moving several federal holidays to Mondays. Some others disagreed, arguing that holidays should be observed on the dates they honor. The purpose of the adjustment was to rearrange some holidays to give workers many long weekends throughout the year.
According to History, a clause was included in the Uniform Holiday Bill in 1971 that combined the commemorations of Washington's birthday and Abraham Lincoln's on February 12. For years Americans believed the day was supposed to honor both Presidents Washington and Lincoln because the new yearly date consistently coincided with their birthdays.
Many people assumed that the new date, which sat between the birthdays of Washington and Lincoln, was chosen to honor both of them because February 22 had been abandoned
Celebrations
Marketers quickly seized the chance to capitalize on the three-day weekend with promotions, and "Presidents' Day" deals were publicized in retail locations around the nation.
A day to celebrate leaders
While Washington and Lincoln continue to be among the most prominent individuals in American history, Presidents' Day is now widely observed as a day honoring the contributions and lives of all of the country's senior executive officers. Legislators who disagree with this viewpoint contend that it diminishes the contributions of presidents like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln by combining them with less accomplished ones.
Know more about President George Washington
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