Patriot Perspective
Open Thread: Washington's Birthday
In some circles, today is observed as "Presidents' Day," jointly recognizing Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, but it is still officially recognized as the anniversary of "Washington's Birthday" -- and that is how we mark the date in our shop. (Washington's actual birthday is Feb. 22.)
Matthew Spalding, a Heritage Foundation scholar, reminds: "Although it was celebrated as early as 1778, and by the early 19th Century was second only to the Fourth of July as a patriotic holiday, Congress did not officially recognize Washington's Birthday as a national holiday until 1870. The Monday Holiday Law in 1968 -- applied to executive branch departments and agencies by Richard Nixon's Executive Order 11582 in 1971 -- moved the holiday from February 22 to the third Monday in February. Section 6103 of Title 5, United States Code, currently designates that legal federal holiday as 'Washington's Birthday.' Contrary to popular opinion, no action by Congress or order by any President has changed 'Washington's Birthday' to 'Presidents' Day.'"
In honor of and with due respect for our first and (we believe) greatest president, arguably our nation's most outstanding Patriot, we include two quotes from George Washington that best embody his dedication to liberty and God. The first from his First Inaugural Address, April 30, 1789, and the second from his Farewell Address, September 19, 1796.
"The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the republican model of government, are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American People."
"Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, Religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of Patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great Pillars of human happiness -- these firmest props of the duties of Men and citizens."
These quotes aptly sum up The Patriot Post's mission and purpose.
21 Comments
Dr. Bill Choby
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 11:29 AM
George Washington's birthday was February 11, 1732. When the British crown adopted the Gregorian calender in 1752, his birthday was changed to February 22. Personally I like the February 11th date because it lines up nicely with Lincoln's birthday too.
Dave Pendleton
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 11:43 AM
This is the body of an email I sent out to my family and friends. I thought it appropriate here: This short article may take a few minutes to digest, given its depth, but it's worth the effort and your time will be well rewarded. This is the first in a sequence of two articles on Washington, with another to follow soon. It seems a little out of current vogue to remember and celebrate George Washington, the person - even more so than not, given that his history is no longer taught in school (at all levels) these days, and that his birthday honor has been transmogrified and thus diluted into "President's Day". I have always held Washington in great personal esteem as my favorite president among all the great men who have led our Nation -- and this article has reminded me of why this is so. It's difficult to remain unemotional in its reading. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.http://www.city-journal.org/2012/221urb-george-washington.html
Butch@10Auburn
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 11:52 AM
How could the metrics employed in a recent assessment of the best and worst U. S. Presidents* be so skewed that President Washington was judged "last"? That is absurd!*I do not recall the specific news item.
Al Christensen
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 11:56 AM
When Congress messed and moved the 'holiday' celebrations to Mondays and Fridays, it did nothing to enhance the meaning or value of those special days, but just the opposite. In my opinion, it causes or encouranges the public to try to do more things, to travel further, rest or recuperate less, diminish and fade in to oblivion the real meaning of the reason for recognizing the special days, and thereby further erroding the reasons or rememberances of why the holiday came about.
Todd Kreigh
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 11:57 AM
It was the Patriot Post that first alerted me to focus on the disaster the Lincoln presidency was: the token-ness of what abolition really meant, over 600,000 Civil War dead, and the South ravaged, burned, and left in economic ruin. All very possibly averted by a President with enough sense to explore a diplomatic solution, including economic sanctions and not interfering with a state's right to secede if it so wished.Change it back to Washington's Birthday.
Cicero
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 12:38 PM
We need to get rid of Presidents Day and return Washington,Jefferson and the Founders back to their own special day and the _ell with phony,Marxist PC garbaged days like MLK Day for the Marxist/molester,etc.Of course, the cowards and wimps would not dare touch anything to do with this!
M Lee Gallion
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 12:42 PM
Too bad ole Honest George has to be lumped onto the same calendar date as the mediocre Presidents in the past that the media has to embellish their records as remarkable even though they were very unremarkable and often even villainous to our representative republic form of government.
Tommy
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 12:52 PM
Change it back to Washington's birthday. Washington never attacked his own people, or ordered private houses and courthouses burned, cattle stolen, or entire counties evicted. Today that would be called genocide.
Tommy
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 12:58 PM
Change it back to Washington's birthday. Washington never attacked his own people, or ordered private houses and courthouses burned, cattle stolen, or entire counties evicted. Today that would be called genocide.
Rob Roi
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 2:17 PM
Shame on the federal government for ever taking away the official birthday of the Father of our nation as a legal holiday to honor him and him only. For Martin L. King to get a holiday named for just him is an abomination. Congress needs to go back and fix the entire calendar so that EVERY holiday falls on the day of the week as originally intended. Enough of these artificially created holidays. By the way, why do we need a three day weekend in February?
Alton
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 2:17 PM
I always fly our Flag on noted occasions. But at first thought I wouldn't want my liberal neighbors to think I was honoring the current President, He doesn't deserve it. But on second thought it was afterall Geroge Washington's Birthday and up went the flag. I can't be bothered about what liberals think anyway, Happy Birthday George.
judy m.
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 2:25 PM
Reflecting on Presidents's Day as we celebrate what has been known since 1968 as “Presidents' Day.” At this time we should be stopping to reflect on the birthdays of the two prominent presidents of the United States for whom this day is designated. George Washington, our 1st president, was born on February 11, 1731 under the Julian calendar that was in place at the time. This date changed to February 22 with the adoption of the Gregorian calendar in 1752. Abraham Lincoln, our 16th president was born on February 12, 1809 and is best known as the president who ended slavery in this country and who was the first president to be assassinated.Both of these United States Presidents’ birthdays were celebrated on their birthdates until 1968 when Congress passed the Monday Holiday Law to "provide uniform annual observances of certain legal public holidays on Mondays." By creating more 3-day weekends, Congress hoped to "bring substantial benefits to both the spiritual and economic life of the Nation."Unfortunately, I question how this brought spiritual benefit to the nation when people seem to have forgotten that we are commemorating the lives of two icons of our American history.I hope you will take the time today to remember & cherish the memory of these presidents who have so unselfishly served our country.
John Zee
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 3:01 PM
When Nixon waved, far too jauntily, on the steps of his helicopter and bid farewell to the great country with whom he had dealt so shabbily, among his nefarious schemes was the Monday holiday fiasco. Retailers, counting their expected sales receipts, kissed every part of his anatomy, exposed and otherwise. Teachers, endowed with the responsibility of inculcating patriotism in their students, breathed an awkward sigh of relief. The holidays untouched by Nixon's fiat, including 4th of July, Christmas and T-giving were already so sales-oriented that none thought it a problem. Why, one should ask, was Flag Day not included? Who would have cared? Well, how can you sell lots of nothing-items on a day commemorating a flag? The business of business runs the country and that is just one of the reasons we've been sliding out to sea. Would that we could return to the republic designed and defended by Washington, Jefferson, Adams and their ilk. We'd be much the better for it and the struggle would be worth the gain. As I age, rapidly, I expect no such miracles. Still, I look for a sign in the heavens. Perhaps, somewhere there is an intellect that can come out of the wings and lead us boldly to the America of old, the country in which I have spent my life. I, too, have a dream.
Jake
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 3:37 PM
Why was the holiday ever changed from George Washington's Birthday Holiday to President's Day? We have had presidents who do not deserve any type of recognition. To replace a holiday honoring George Washington, one of our country's greatest Americans, with a holiday that includes someone like Obama, is a miscarriage of justice.
Steve
Monday, February 20, 2012 at 6:45 PM
INTEGRITY is the one word that best seems to sum up George Washington. He is the one founder who was most indispensable, without whom the revolution would likely have failed and the Constitution would never have been ratified.To me, his name should never be mentioned in the same sentence with the Tyrant Lincoln. I will always observe Washington's birthday as such. We should never forget the Tyrant born Feb. 12th, but always with somber remembrance of the death and destruction he caused when more sane alternatives were available. I would not oppose smashing the Lincoln Memorial to rubble. Rubble is the best symbol of that tyrant.Lincoln frequently paid rhetorical homage to Washington and Jefferson, but he was a hypocrite in so doing. No thinking person can support the ideas of Jefferson (states rights) AND those of Lincoln (coercion, might makes right, empire)---who was the enemy of liberty.http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig11/eboch1.1.1.htmlWashington was not an angel nor a saint, but he had integrity. I offer Thomas Jefferson's assessment of Washington from 1814:"Perhaps, the strongest feature of his character was prudence, never acting until every circumstance, every consideration was maturely weighed... but once decided, going through with his purpose, whatever obstacles opposed. His integrity was most pure, his justice the most inflexible I have ever known... He was, indeed, in every sense of the words, a wise, a good and a great man." --Thomas Jefferson, January 2, 1814