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The Presidents’ Day history dates back to 1880. Also known as Washington’s Birthday, it was originally established by an Act of Congress for the government offices in D.C., and then it expanded to include all of the federal offices in 1885. It was a federal holiday and the first to honor an American citizen, so it was decided that February 22nd, President Washington’s actual birthday would be the date that the holiday was celebrated.
On January 1, 1971, the holiday was changed by the Uniform Monday Holiday Act to be the third Monday in February.
It was first thought that Presidents’ Day should honor the entire office of the Presidency and that March 4th should be the date of celebration, since it was the original inauguration day. But that bill was stalled, since Lincoln’s birthday and Washington’s birthday were both holidays too close to each other, and that another one in the same general timeframe would be burdensome.
The Uniform Monday Holiday Act drafted a proposal to rename the holiday Presidents’ Day to honor both Lincoln and Washington, but it failed and Washington’s Birthday remained as the title of the holiday.
By about 1985, Presidents’ Day began to win some popularity as the new name of the holiday. And today it is celebrated as a sale day for many merchants and stores. Car dealerships as well hold sales on this weekend.
At first, many establishments closed to observe this day. But by the late 1980’s, with advertisers pushing their sales, more businesses remained open on the holiday. Even the postal services are now running on this day. And bus lines and other transportation services just recognize it as a regular day.
Some schools close for an entire week to celebrate both Lincoln’s birthday and Washington’s birthday, separately, and they call it the mid-winter recess. In New York City, the school districts began this practice in the 1990’s.
Share
the Presidents Day
History with your
kids as a bedtime
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