Not many young people nowadays remember that "President's Day" was in fact a holiday established to specially acknowledge George Washington, on his birthday. The holiday was initially established in 1885 by a bill signed by President Chester Arthur, which stated that February 22nd, Washington's Birthday, will be a federal government holiday.

Nevertheless, as with a lot of things to do with Washington, things were not so basic. Washington's Birthday was essentially on February 11th, but that was according to the Julian calendar. That being said, Britain subsequently changed to the Gregorian calendar, which in turn shifted everything ahead 11 days. Eventually, Abraham Lincoln was elected president and turned out to become a president as noteworthy and served as much of a driver to the nation as Washington did. His birthday was February 12th, and several states began to celebrate that date as a holiday.

The Birth of President's Day

Years later, in 1968, legislators decided that it would be a lot easier to commemorate the holidays if they were on Monday so that workers might have a three day weekend rather than having a broken week in the middle of the week. This bill moved each of the holidays to Monday, so Presidents Day lies the third Monday in February. This legal holiday is often referred to as "President's Day," in tribute of both Washington and Lincoln, yet the official title continues being "Washington's Birthday.".

In order to establish the solitary legal holiday more inclusive of both Presidents, Congress considered a bill to rename it as President's Day. Congress turned down the bill. A few in Congress would like to make the national holiday more comprehensive of not only Lincoln, but all Presidents who served our country. However when it boils down to it, the original intent of the holiday was to honor the very first significant and great President who had one of the largest roles in founding this country and establishing the Constitution that we hold so dear. Washington merits to be recognized as the most important leader the United States have ever had.

What Exactly Does President's Day Represent to Americans?

Should you ask most Americans about President's Day, they'll likely tell you that it is among the very best shopping days of the year. Merchants give some of the steepest discounts of the year as they switch over from winter stock to spring goods. Stores hope to tidy up floor space for the new products, and getting rid of the remaining winter goods are their optimum goal. Occasionally the priority is so high that sales are considerably shocking.

Regretfully, this process has resulted in the legal holiday, which was designed to recognize President Washington and President Lincoln, to emerge as a highly commercial holiday, much like Christmas has become. It seems regrettable that most Americans do not recognize the significance of the day, the history behind it, and the history behind the men for which it was created.

Ways to Commemorate President's Day.

That's not just to say that you shouldn't indulge in a very good day of rock-bottom bargains at your local business. But mainly, mothers and fathers should devote the day with their kids, enlightening them about Washington's history and the history of the birth of our country. Parents should enjoy activities with their children that reflect on what it means to become a U.S. President, and exactly what sort of struggles and tribulations George Washington encountered during his time as a young child, his time on the field of battles of our young nation, and his time as a leader of this great nation.