President's Day is celebrated on the third Monday in February. It was originally established in 1885 to celebrate the Birthday of George Washington which is on February 22nd. The official government designation is still "Washington's Birthday."In an effort to create more 3-day weekends for workers, it was changed to President's Day in the Uniform Monday Holiday Act in 1971 and is now a federal holiday along with Thanksgiving and Memorial Day. This act proposed moving several federal holidays to a uniform Monday to give workers a day off and reduce absenteeism.Usually, President's Day is an occasion for schools to have school assemblies to learn about all of the US Presidents, not just Washington. Abraham Lincoln, whose birthday is on February 12th, is often mentioned in President's day assemblies. Ronald Reagan and William Henry Harrison also have February birthdays, but Lincoln and Washington are more commonly mentioned. While most school spend time learning about the accomplishments of all the presidents on the weeks leading up to the day off from school, Washington and Lincoln traditionally receive the most attention. Children will learn about their accomplishments and may even learn famous speeches such as Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. There may be a school assembly which parent can attend to watch the children dress up as Washington and Lincoln.In 1932, President's Day was used to bring back the Purple Heart. This award was originally created by Washington for soldiers who were killed or wounded in battle. Boy Scout troops will sometimes take part in school assemblies and patriotic remembrances of past presidents as part of President's Day. On the actual day, parks and museums stage reenactments of events in the lives of Lincoln or Washington. or speeches given by them.President's Day is a great opportunity to learn about all the accomplishments of past presidents and learn the history of our country.
David Jack is an award-winning national performer and his school assemblies are performed in New Jersey, PA and NY frequently. His Parents' Choice Award winning music can be found at DavidJack.com