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President's Day Ideas
When is it?:
Third Monday in February
You can thank George Washington,
American's first president, for one of the first, official federal
holidays in the country. In the last full year of his presidency,
1796, a commemorative day to honor his role in the country's history
was declared, and called Washington Day.
The only difficulty was determining
which day to hold it on, since the relatively "new" calendar at that
time, recorded his birth on February 22, while the previous one made
it February 11. Regardless, celebrations including balls, speeches and
other events, were carried out on both days, well into the early part
of the next century. By then it was pretty well accepted as a national
holiday.
It would be more than half a century
before another president made the impact on the country that
Washington had, and that would be Abraham Lincoln. Coincidentally,
Lincoln was also born in February, and very close to Washington's
birthday, with his being February 12. The year following his
assassination in 1864, Congress held an "official" day of
commemoration, with the attendant pomp and speeches. Never recognized
officially as a holiday, it was still marked on calendars and
celebrated in many places simply for the value in remembering a great
man.
In 1968, legislation was brought forth to help organize the federal
calendar of holidays. It would not pass until 1971, at which time
Washington's Birthday, which is still the official name, was moved to
the third Monday in February. The day then became known informally as
President's Day in honor of Washington, Lincoln, and all men who had
served the nation in the president's office.
More Resources:
Fun President's
Day Ideas for Kids
Presidents' Day Activities for Elementary School Kids
History of US Presidents' Day
Teach Kids About Money this Presidents' Day!
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