Presidents Day? Not really. Yes the kids have a week off from school, and there are sales in the stores, but in New Jersey we do not celebrate President’s Day. Our laws continue to refer to the third Monday in February as Washington’s Birthday. The State’s official holiday list includes both Lincoln’s Birthday on February 12th and “President’s Day” on February 16th. But the future may hold an official change in designation for Washington’s Birthday to incorporate Lincoln’s Birthday.
Back in the heydays of 2006, State Senators Stephen Sweeney and Joseph Kyrillos tried to pass a bill cutting down the number of official state holidays from 13 to 10. They wanted to eliminate Lincoln’s Birthday, Election Day, and Good Friday as official state holidays. 2009 brought no change in the status, although there was a slight uproar when Governor Corzine failed to give the Friday after Thanksgiving off as a holiday. That is not an official holiday, but state workers have gotten the extra paid day off as part of a tradition started in the 1960s.
President’s Day is celebrated in some states but according to New Jersey’s code covering legal holiday’s, Title 36:1-1, both Lincoln and Washington get their own official holiday. Also celebrating a birthday, anniversary, is the Purple Heart. The badge of honor originally established by George Washington in a decree from his headquarters in Newburgh, NY, it was called The Badge of Military Merit. This decoration was in contrast to the European tradition where only high ranking commanders received commendation, in the words of General Washington, “The road to glory in a patriot army and a free country is thus open to all” . The Purple Heart, “official successor” to the The Badge of Military Merit, was issued on the bicentennial anniversary of Washington’s Birthday in 1932.
Washington’s birthday was the first official holiday honoring an American, and in the late 1800s it was celebrated on his actual birthday of February 22nd. Lincoln’s birthday, February 12th 1809, had it’s own grand bicentennial celebration. Lincoln does not have his own Federal Holiday of which there are only 10. While schools may offer their mid winter recess and call it President’s Week, not every state honors Lincoln with his own day like New Jersey. New Mexico honors President’s Day, officially, the day after Thanksgiving in order to provide the four day weekend. New York, where the idea of honoring Lincoln with a holiday began, does give one of 12 official holidays to Lincoln.
Whether celebrating President’s Day, or Washington’s Birthday, or Lincoln’s Birthday, it’s a day to honor the accomplishments and sacrifices of those who built our republic. So keeping in mind the anniversary of the Purple Heart is another good way to celebrate President’s Week.
Nice article, and glad to see the use of the word republic. People often forget that America is a republic and not a democracy since the founding fathers feared a tyranny of majority rule. But I wonder if we need a little more democracy as the majority of us seem to be getting the short-end of the stick in this bailout.