Presidents Day

Presidents Day is officially observed as the birthday commemoration of George Washington, the first President of the United States. Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the United States, is usually included. It is also known in some states as Washington-Lincoln Day. There are a number of state holidays that are observed on this date. Some states still celebrate Lincoln's birthday on February 12. The official designation of the day is Washington's Birthday according to federal law.

George Washington, born on February 22, 1732 in Virginia, is known as the "father of his country." Washington served in King George III's army. He fought and commanded large troops of soldiers for the British in the French and Indian War. After the Boston Tea Party, Washington assumed command of the army of the American Revolution and fought for eight years to help gain independence from the British.

When the laws of the United States were written, they included the office of president. George Washington was asked to serve and he agreed. He moved from his home, Mount Vernon in Alexandria, Virginia, to New York. New York at that time was the capital of the United States. Washington served two terms as president.

Abraham Lincoln is known as the President who freed the slaves when he issued the Emancipation Proclamation. He stated his career as a lawyer in Illinois and was elected to the House of Representatives in 1846. His disagreement with President Polk over the Mexican American War did harm to his government service. He returned to Illinois to practice law.

His next involvement in politics came as a result of his response to the Kansas-Nebraska Act which repealed the limits on slavery that had been set in the Missouri Compromise. He was against the act. He debated Stephen Douglas and won endorsement for president at the Illinois State Republican Convention in 1860.

Lincoln was the underdog in the election but he won. He was sworn in as the sixteenth president of the United States. By the time Lincoln took office, the Confederacy was born. The southern states seceded from the Union. In April 1861 Union troops at Fort Sumter were fired upon and the Civil War began.

On April 14, 1865 he was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, an actor and a Confederate spy. Lincoln was the first U. S. president to lie in state.

Presidents Day is a federal holiday which means time off work for most people. The retail businesses of the country have been promoting this day as a sales day to encourage people to buy more goods.

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