Celebrate President's Day
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Exactly when is president's Day? The simple answer is that Americans celebrate presidents Day on the third Monday in February. But behind that simple answer are a few interesting bits of historical trivia that complicate the matter. The origins of the holiday go back to 1732 when Mary Ball Washington, the second wife of Augustine Washington, gave birth on February 11 to an infant boy named George. At that time, Great Britain, and, therefore, the American colonies, still used the Julian calendar instead of the Gregorian calendar. Over time, the Julian calendar's dates became increasingly out of sync with the seasons. So, in 1752, Great Britain adopted the Gregorian calendar, which Americans and most of the Western world now use. Because this change created an eleven-day gap, the celebration of George Washington's birth date was changed to February 22.
Accurately answering the question, when is president's day, begins with understanding the origins of the holiday which actually start almost at the very beginning of the founding of the United States. In 1778, the nation's first president was serenaded at Valley Forge by a continental army band. Historians believe this was the first public celebration of Washington's birthday. As a recognized holiday, the French Army in Rhode Island honored Washington on Monday, February 12, 1781. By the early 1800s, this great man, who first gained honor and recognition for his leadership during the War for Independence, was being remembered by Americans at events called Birthnight Balls and with speeches and receptions. President Chester Arthur officially designated Washington's birthdate as a federal holiday in 1885. The nation's sixteenth president, Abraham Lincoln, was born on February 12 Congress honored his birthday with a memorial address the year after he was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth while watching a play at Ford's Theater on April 14, 1865 (he died the following day, on April 15). Both the nation's first and sixteenth presidents are appropriately remembered as men who believed in God's providence upon the young country that they were privileged to lead. Well-acquainted with Scripture, it's not hard to imagine either one praying for wisdom during difficult times. As the Proverbs writer, most likely King Solomon, said: "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all they getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee" (Proverbs 4:7-9).
Though both men are remembered as heroes, George Washington's birthday was nationally remembered, but Lincoln's birthday was never an official federal holiday. Some states honor the sixteenth president, memorializing his brave and steady leadership during the Civil War, but other states do not. The fifty individual states are not required to recognize the federally designated holidays, though all federal offices and agencies are closed on these dates. This is part of the confusion when answering the question, when is president's day? To address the confusion, and also in response to national associations that promoted travel and tourism, Congress passed House Resolution 15951 in 1968. The Uniform Holidays Bill, which took effect in 1971, contained several provisions. Primarily, the bill specified that several federal holidays would be celebrated on a Monday so that federal employees would have three-day weekends, allowing them to take short vacations. These included Washington's birthday, Veterans Day, and Memorial Day. The legislation also established Columbus Day as a federal holiday. (Though for a time, Veterans Day was celebrated on a Monday, the date for honoring military veterans was changed back to November 11 by federal legislation in 1978.) Federal employees may believe they celebrate presidents day on the third Monday of February, but officially the date is still designated as Washington's birthday.
Adding to the confusion is disagreement on how Richard Nixon, who was president when the Uniform Holidays Bill went into effect in 1971, announced the changes. Some say that, instead of issuing an executive order, Nixon issued a Presidential Proclamation that said Americans would celebrate presidents Day in the belief that the proclamation would give the holiday its official designation. However, Nixon did issue executive order number 11582 on February 11, 1971 that designated all the official federal holidays. Though the executive order specifically includes the third Monday of February as a designated federal holiday, the order doesn't give it a specific name or title. The prevailing federal statute continues to designate the holiday as Washington's Birthday. Members of Congress tried again to align federal statutes with the prevailing cultural practice by introducing House Resolution 420, the Washington-Lincoln Recognition Act of 2001. However, this legislation never made it out of its assigned subcommittees so a final bill was never voted on by either the full House of Representatives or the United States Senate.
In conclusion, the answer to when is president's day seems to depend on where one lives. Though often used nationally as a designation on calendars and in advertising, it's not an official federal holiday. Some states apparently created their own designations, but it is up to each state to decide which holidays to recognize. For example, Florida's state offices and agencies are closed on the third Monday in January to honor Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday, which is also a federally recognized holiday. However, the state offices and agencies are not closed on the third Monday in February to celebrate presidents day.
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