By Monika Gerges
On Monday, Feb. 10, FVHS students had no school. Again, Monday, Feb. 17, was off for students. Students didn’t need to attend school on Feb. 10 because it was Lincoln’s birthday and the following Monday is off due to Washington’s birthday.
Although the long weekends may be beneficial for students, these national holidays seem unnecessary, since there is really no way to celebrate the death of previous presidents.
So, when and why did these holidays become national? Why have we been celebrating them ever since then?
Lincoln’s birthday is not and has never been a national holiday. Julius Francis, a shopkeeper from New York proposed the holiday. The first public celebration of Lincoln’s birth took place in 1881. However, this holiday was not national. After the American Civil War, many were unable to acknowledge the positive aspects of Lincoln’s legacy.
In addition, since George Washington’s birthday was just ten days after Lincoln’s historians believed he had a more significant impact on American history and he should be celebrated instead. Lincoln’s birthday never passed as a national holiday, but a couple of states choose to recognize the day on Feb. 12.
Illinois, the state where Lincoln was from takes on the day as a full celebration of Lincoln and declares it a school holiday.
On the other hand, Washington’s Birthday became a national holiday through the 1968 Uniformity Holiday Act. The holiday became known as Presidents’ Day through the 1971 Uniform Monday Holiday Act. Although it was created to represent Washington’s Birthday, the day is meant to celebrate all American presidents.
The Uniform Monday Holiday Act shifted the celebration of different presidents to specific Mondays. The main purpose of this was to give American workers more long weekends in order to reduce employee absence. It combines Lincoln’s and Washington’s birthday.
On Presidents’ Day, the post office is closed and non-essential federal workers don’t have work. The day is meant to be a time of patriotic celebration and remembrance.
