Why We Have President's Day as a Holiday
Posted by Billy Richards on Fri, Feb 12, 2010
Presidents' Day falls on the third Monday of February, which is in Spring.
Washington's Birthday is the official name designated to what many of us know as President's Day. During the month of February the birthday of two of our greatest President's takes place. Both George Washington who was born on Feb. 22nd and Abraham Lincoln born on Feb. 12th. Washington's birthday has been publicly celebrated since he was in office, before Abraham Lincoln was even born. Much of the debate over the name of the holiday springs from the fact that state's can follow their own holidays how they see fit and many of them chose to also honor Lincoln, calling the celebration President's Day. It was in 1968 that the term President's Day came up for legal consideration in the Congress but was shot down, though the holiday was moved to fall between the two President's birthdays. Again in the 1980's there was a resurgence of the term with advertisers which solidfied the holiday name in American culture.
To read the convoluted answer to that question, see the link below.
The anniversary of George Washington's birthday is February 22nd, and Abraham Lincoln's is February 12th. Some states used to celebrate both, some one or the other, and some just Washington's (the old Confederacy). Some states also had holidays honoring one or another different presidents.
All the holidays got confusing with the expansion of national trade across the country and internationally, as business closings were difficult to keep track of.
The Federal holiday is actually Washington's Birthday, but it has come to be called Presidents' Day in honor of all the presidents of the US. It is celebrated on the third Monday in February.
The federal holiday is actually "Washington's Birthday". We originally celebrated George Washington's birthday (beginning in 1880) on the actual anniversary of his birth, Feb. 22.
In 1971, the holiday shifted to the third Monday in February following the Uniform Monday Holiday Act that shifted Memorial Day & Labor Day to Mondays as well to create three day weekends.
An act to rename the holiday "President's Day" to include celebration of Abe Lincoln's birthday as well (Feb 12) died in committee in 1968.
The term "President's Day", while not the official federal holiday name, came into popular use in the 1980's, and has been adopted by many states as the official state holiday name.
The U.S. Congress made the birthday of 1st U.S. President George Washington [February 22, 1732-November 14, 1799] a federal holiday, for federal offices in the District of Columbia, in 1880. Five years later, the holiday was expanded to include all federal offices throughout the U.S. As a federal holiday, the day still is Washington's Birthday. A proposal to rename the holiday Presidents' Day, in honor of President Washington and of 16th U.S. President Abraham Lincoln [February 12, 1809-April 15, 1865], failed in Congress. Some states observe the holiday as Washington's Birthday, and some as Presidents' Day in memory of Presidents Washington and Lincoln.
Washington's Birthday is the official name designated to what many of us know as President's Day. During the month of February the birthday of two of our greatest President's takes place. Both George Washington who was born on Feb. 22nd and Abraham Lincoln born on Feb. 12th.
However, Washington's birthday has been publicly celebrated since he was in office, before Abraham Lincoln was even born. Much of the debate over the name of the holiday springs from the fact that state's can follow their own holidays how they see fit and many of them chose to also honor Lincoln, calling the celebration President's Day.
It was in 1968 that the term President's Day came up for legal consideration in the Congress but was shot down, though the holiday was moved to fall between the two President's birthdays. Again in the 1980's there was a resurgence of the term with advertisers which solidfied the holiday name in American culture. Today, few Americans perfer to call the holiday Washington's Birthday in lieu of President's Day.
so the conclution is that it was put in efect by the congress since 1880 workin it up until 1885 so the Presidents during those years included Garfiel, Arthur and cleaveland any of those three could be responsible for signin this aproval to congress wich would probably fall to the hands President Arthur since he was in the years in the middle of this congress work.