Happy Presidents Day!

Presidents Day is upon us, Monday, February 20, 2017. It is one of those holidays that most of us see pass in a blur and don’t really take the time to know or learn about. Presidents Day is a day of patriotic remembrance and a day to take a look back to the founding fathers of our nation. Here is some history about the holiday.

Presidents Day is generally celebrated on the third Monday in the month of February. Originally it was used to celebrate and recognize the birthday of President George Washington, and was first celebrated in the year 1885. The day was traditionally celebrated on Washington’s actual birthday, February 22nd, but was moved as part of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. It is a federal holiday, meaning school and non-essentail federal services closures.

The Uniform Monday Holiday Act was created as an attempt to make more three day weekends for the nation’s workers. The Act would also be used to combine the respective birthdays of Lincoln and Washington. The Uniform Monday Holiday Act would be passed in 1971.

At the time of the holiday’s creation, Washington was considered one of the most important figures in American history; in that regard, not much has changed. Presidents Day would be signed into law by Rutherford B. Hayes, and would be the first to celebrate the life of an individual American. The second would be Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

In our more modern times the holiday would move away from singularly celebrating Washington. Many now use Presidents Day to celebrate both national and civil figures. People generally use the day to remember and celebrate the lives of both Washington and Lincoln, two of the most famous American presidents and most influential people in the nation’s history. It is also common for Presidents day to be seen as a patriotic holiday applying to all of America’s past presidents. On behalf of the staff of the Jefferson County Post we would like to wish you a Happy Presidents Day!