What happened to the holiday celebrating Lincoln's birthday?
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I grew up in southern Illinois. By the time February rolled around most folks in that region were already sick of winter with the its grey skies and gloomy weather. The bright spot about February in southern Illinois, however, was three holidays that kids in school could enjoy.
I would guess just about every grade school class, back in the 1950’s, had some sort of Valentine exchange and, if they were lucky, the “room mothers” would provide special treats for an in-classroom party. And way before the 1950’s most schools celebrated George Washington’s birthday with a day off from school on February 22. In Illinois, since Lincoln was one of our most famous former residents (though born in Kentucky), we also got a day off school on his birthday, February 12.
Everyone of a certain age can remember the day off from school for George Washington’s birthday. I’m guessing that was probably observed nationwide. And, like Illinois, many states also took a school holiday for Lincoln’s birthday. Now in February we have a hybrid federal holiday that is on the third Monday of February. We now call it Presidents’ Day, but as you’ll see, that is not the correct or official title.
The history of the federal holiday we call Presidents’ Day
First, it’s useful to know that George Washington’s birthday has been celebrated as a federal holiday since President Chester Arthur signed a bill establishing the holiday in 1885. While technically Washington was born on February 11, 1732, we celebrate the day on February 22—the difference is a change from the Julian calendar used when Washington was born to the Gregorian calendar now in use. It’s complicated, but let’s go with February 22 since that’s what we all learned in grade school.
The confusion began about what to call the holiday in 1968 when Congress passed the Uniform Holidays Bill. The bill’s purpose was to create more three-day weekends for federal employees by observing Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day and Veterans Day each on a Monday. At the same time a new federal holiday, Columbus Day, was also to be observed on a Monday. Under this act, from 1971 forward Washington’s Birthday would always be observed on the third Monday in February. Officially, per the United States Code, the February holiday is Washington’s Birthday, not Presidents’ Day as it is popularly called.
Because two famous U.S. Presidents were born in February, there were legislative attempts as far back as the 1950’s to combine the celebration of Washington’s and Lincoln’s birthdays into a combined federal holiday and call it Presidents’ Day. But, those early attempts for a single holiday failed. When the Uniform Holidays Bill was being considered in the late 1960’s, the idea of a combined President’s Day was debated again but officially was voted and passed as Washington’s Birthday.
Like I’m guessing most readers believed, I always thought because we called the holiday Presidents’ Day because it was a celebration to honor both Washington and Lincoln, or, maybe it celebrated all our former presidents. You’ll see the same federal holiday referred to by different names among the states and other political subdivision. For example, the federal holiday to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. is officially called “Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.” In Montana, on the official state website, the day is called “Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.” States, counties and other governmental groups can call the official federal holidays by whatever names they select, but the U.S. government is bound to call them by their official name. The holiday we celebrated last Monday was officially Washington’s Birthday, not Presidents’ Day.
How ‘official’ are federal holidays?
There are officially 10 federal holidays that the federal government recognizes each year. Typically, most federal employees are off work on those days and federal offices are closed. You would think the states and other political subdivisions would honor the same days, but they are not required to observe federal holidays. For example, on the most recent Washington’s Birthday, I found of the four high schools in Blaine County, three were closed that Monday, one was open. Washington’s Birthday is listed as an official holiday at the national level and in Montana but each school district decides if and when to observe a federal holiday.
What has developed over time, despite the national Uniform Holidays Bill, is a hodgepodge of holidays among the states, local political subdivisions and school systems. I just checked, Illinois lists all the federal holidays as official state holidays, plus Good Friday and Casimir Pulaski Day (a famous Polish soldier who fought with the U.S. during the Revolutionary War. There’s a very big Polish population in Illinois). Some states have created their own Presidents’ Day to honor both Washington and Lincoln.
Alabama has put an even more unusual spin on a combined day for the third Monday in February, designating it a day to honor both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, even though Jefferson was born in April. It would only take a moment of recalling American history to understand why Abraham Lincoln’s birthday would not be a favorite in that part of the old Confederacy. Alabama does have a combined Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert E. Lee holiday in January (how could you get two more diametrically opposed historical figures). In Alabama there also a Confederate Memorial Day and a state holiday for the birthday of Jefferson Davis, the first President of the Confederate states. Obviously, states and local governments have a lot of leeway about their own declared holidays.
Will the confusion about Presidents’ Day vs. Washington’s Birthday be cleared up?
The short answer is “don’t count on it.” A bill called the “Washington-Lincoln Recognition of Act” was introduced in Congress in 2001. That bill would have assured all federal references to the third Monday in February would be Washington’s Birthday only. In addition, the sitting U.S. President would declare a day to recognize Lincoln’s birthday each year…not as a legal holiday, but a day of special remembrance. That bill failed.
I couldn’t find any other references to other bills since 2001 that might help public understanding about the Washington’s Birthday federal holiday. And as to future bills, when our most recent members of Congress can barely agree to keep the federal government funded for more than three or four weeks at a time, don’t count on them being able to agree on something as momentous as how to rename a holiday. It will be up to each of us, individually, to properly refer to Washington’s Birthday each third Monday in February. Lincoln and the rest are on their own.
