John Trumbull
Breitbart / Big-Government
by Penny Starr
2/19/2018
Excerpt:
Most Americans probably don’t know that the Uniform Monday Holiday Bill that Congress passed and President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law in 1968 is why we celebrate Presidents’ Day on the third Monday in February.
That legislation changed the longstanding tradition of celebrating two exemplary American presidents’ birthdays on separate days in February — the first president of the United States, George Washington, and the 16th president, Abraham Lincoln.
The whole saga is documented on the National Archives website and reveals that the official federal Presidents’ Day holiday was the result of lobbying by and the unusual partnership of big business and labor unions.
The 2004 National Archive article, written by historian C. L. Arbelbide and titled “By George, it is Washington’s birthday!” explains how Presidents’ Day came to fruition in 1971:
Before 1971, Washington’s Birthday was one of nine federal holidays celebrated on specific dates, which—year after year—fell on different days of the week (the exception being Labor Day—the original Monday holiday). Then came the tinkering of the Ninetieth Congress in 1968. Determined to create a uniform system of federal Monday holidays, Congress voted to shift three existing holidays to Mondays and expanded the number further by creating one new Monday holiday.
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View the complete article including image, links and comments at:
Monday Is “Washington’s Birthday Observed”
New American
by Steve Byas
2/19/2018
Excerpt:
Although popularly referred to as “Presidents’ Day,” the legal name of the third Monday in February is Washington’s Birthday Observed. This is as it should be. Putting Washington in the same category as (say) Nixon and Clinton makes no sense.
While it is common to refer to the third Monday in February as “Presidents’ Day,” no such holiday exists in federal law. The federal holiday is still “George Washington’s Birthday Observed.” Yet even the post office puts up signs on its doors that they will be closed on “Presidents’ Day.” It is another demonstration of the lawless attitude that exists, where laws or the Constitution do not have to be changed to accomplish liberal objectives.
One reason for the colloquial use of the term “Presidents’ Day,” instead of “Washington’s Birthday,” was due to efforts to include a celebration of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, which is on February 12 (while Washington’s falls on the 22nd). Lincoln’s birthday has never been a federal holiday.
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View the complete article at:
https://www.thenewamerican.com/culture/history/item/28309-it-is-washington-s-birthday-observed-today