Presidents Day is observed every third Monday in February, and is a federal holiday (a public holiday). This year it was observed yesterday, on February 15th. The story starts over 200 years ago in 1800. After the passing of George Washington in 1799, February 22nd, his birthday, became a lasting day in his honor. For most of the 19th century, his birthday was an unofficial holiday, and was not a federal holiday until the 1870’s. Senator Stephen W. Dorsey of Arkansas was the first to endorse this idea, and it became a federal holiday in 1879, under Rutherford B. Hayes. It was shifted to Mondays under the Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968. It became known as Presidents Day in the 1980’s, and was called that on most states’ calendars by the 2000’s.
Similar to Independence Day, Presidents Day is seen as a time to reflect on who we are as a country. When it was called Washington’s Birthday, it became an important symbol during the Great Depression, and Washington’s face was seen on newspapers every February 22nd. In 1932, it was used to bring back the Purple Heart, which was created by Washington to honor soldiers who had either died or been wounded while serving in the armed forces. Groups such as the Boy Scouts Of America also planned celebrations that day, and in 1938, around 5,000 people went to a service at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City in Wasington’s honor. Today, the holiday is used by many patriotic and historical organizations as a day for holding observance, skits of events, and other celebrations. Schools in some states are required to teach students about presidents in the days leading up to President’s Day.
Personally, I feel neutral on this holiday because I do like the extra day off, but I usually spend it at home not really doing anything. Some families take advantage of this holiday and season, to enjoy winter sports such as skiing, snowboarding, or just some plain old snow sledding. That’s the beauty of living in California, the snow is just a few hours drive away… But if we had school on this day, however, I think we, as a community could really bring more meaning to this holiday than just a giant sale day or an extra day off.