Presidents Day
February 16th, 2009In 1796, the last full year of George Washington’s presidency, the citizens of the United States honored their first president by celebrating his birthday, February 22nd. From the celebration in 1796 sprung a tradition of honoring President Washington by celebrating his birthday. By the early 1800s, wealthy Americans were celebrating Washington’s birthday with lavish parties and receptions; the average American commemorated the holiday by gathering with friends for picnics or a couple of drinks at the local bar. Though the majority of Americans celebrated George Washington’s Birthday, it was not an official national holiday until 1880. Many states instituted it as a state holiday, however, allowing Americans to enjoy a day off work to celebrate.
By the mid 1800s, another American president had captured the hearts of the American people: President Abraham Lincoln. Coincidentally, Lincoln’s birthday is February 12th. In 1865, one year after President Lincoln’s assassination, the nation officially honored his presidency and character by commemorating his birthday. In 1880, George Washington’s birthday became a federal legal holiday, making Washington the first American to have a federal holiday named in his honor. Though Lincoln’s birthday did not become an official federal holiday, many states began celebrating it either in addition to or in conjunction with George Washington’s birthday. Those states that celebrated Lincoln’s birthday in conjunction with Washington’s began calling the holiday Presidents Day.
