Every year on the third Monday in February, we celebrate President’s Day. It was originally founded in 1885 in memory of George Washington’s birthday. It is still considered “Washington’s Birthday” to the federal government. Traditionally celebrated on February 22, the day Washington was actually born, the holiday became most widely known as President’s Day. This was after it was moved because of 1971’s Uniform Monday Holiday Act which had the goal of giving workers in the United States more three-day holidays.
The story of President’s Day began in 1800. Following Washington’s death in 1799, his February 22 birthday became a day of remembrance. At the time, Washington was chosen as the most important figure in American history. But did you know that President’s Day never falls on the birthday of any American presidents? George Washington, William Henry Harrison, Abraham Lincoln, and Ronald Reagan all have birthdays in the month of February. Their birthdays are either too early or too late to fall on President’s Day. It wasn’t until the late 1870s that President’s Day became a federal holiday. Senator Steven Wallace Dorsey of Arkansas was the first to suggest the idea and later every state followed. This is the first holiday to celebrate the life of an American individual. Martin Luther King Day would be the second.
Lots of people look forward to President’s Day as a day off from school or work rather than as a way to celebrate one of the most important people in American history. It is a rather boring holiday to some, but it is also a very important one.