Posted on 02/17/2014 6:47:10 AM PST by kristinn
George Washington's Birthday is celebrated as a federal holiday on the third Monday in February. It is one of eleven permanent holidays established by Congress.
Federal holidays apply only to the federal government and the District of Columbia; Congress has never declared a national holiday binding in all states and each state decides its own legal holidays.
George Washington was born in Virginia on February 11, 1731, according to the then-used Julian calendar. In 1752, however, Britain and all its colonies adopted the Gregorian calendar which moved Washington's birthday a year and 11 days to February 22, 1732.
Americans celebrated Washington's Birthday long before Congress declared it a federal holiday. The centennial of his birth prompted festivities nationally and Congress established a Joint Committee to arrange for the occasion.
At the recommendation of the Committee, chaired by Henry Clay of the Senate and Philemon Thomas of the House, Congress adjourned on February 22, 1832 out of respect for Washington's memory and in commemoration of his birth.
Prompted by a memorial from the mayor and other citizens of Philadelphia, the House and Senate commemorated the 130th Anniversary of Washington's birth by reading aloud his Farewell Address.
In a special joint session held in the House Chamber, the House and Senate, along with several cabinet officials, Justices of the Supreme Court and high-ranking officers of the Army and Navy, gathered to listen to the Secretary of State read the address aloud. Eventually, the reading of George Washington's Farewell Address became an annual event for the Senate, a tradition that is still observed to this day.
Washington's Birthday, however, did not become a legal holiday until January 31, 1879 when Congress added February 22nd to the list of holidays to be observed by federal employees in the District of Columbia. The act did not stipulate that employees were to be paid for the holiday - in fact, some government employees in the District of Columbia were paid while others were not.
In 1885, Congress resolved this discrepancy with legislation that required federal employees to be paid for all federal holidays and made federal holidays applicable to all federal government employees, including those employed outside the Washington DC area.
Washington's Birthday was celebrated on February 22nd until well into the 20th Century. However, in 1968 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."
One of the provisions of this act changed the observance of Washington's Birthday from February 22nd to the third Monday in February. Ironically, this guaranteed that the holiday would never be celebrated on Washington's actual birthday, as the third Monday in February cannot fall any later than February 21.
Contrary to popular belief, neither Congress nor the President has ever stipulated that the name of the holiday observed as Washington's Birthday be changed to "President's Day."
Glenn Beck this morning in New York said that if he were to ask on the street a question such as: “Why do you think that we should have a holiday for Obama’s birthday today?”
Beck said many would answer that he Obama is entitled to have a Federal holiday such as his birthday and they are happy that it is a holiday for his birthday.
We need some Washington types to step up in DC.
And the Muzzies still think there are 354 or 355 days in a year.
And 57 states in the USA.
My birthday is also February 22 and as a kid I naturally loved getting out of school due to the old observance. After the change to the new observance it became “President’s Day” largely due to retailers using it as a post-Christmas/New Year’s sales generating gimmick, adding in Lincoln willy nilly and cementing an observance that does not in any logical fashion honor anybody in particular. Now nobody outside of government observes it, completely what you would expect, really. Bah!
The Original, Right-Wing Extremist.
February 15, 2014 American War Hero, Patriot, Political News
President George Washington
One can reasonably presume how today’s Left would characterize and attack the person I am about to describe to you. Without a doubt, he would be characterized as some sort of dangerous, right-wing, tea-bagging, homophobic, Christian Neanderthal who should be maligned, attacked, marginalized, silenced, and driven from power.
Character assassination has become the weapon of choice for those who so forcefully peddle the liberal/progressive ideology. It is relentlessly used to silence all those who stand in opposition to the myriad of ‘isms’ they champion as they seek to “fundamentally transform” the country and society. I sincerely doubt they would spare him.
He was the commanding General of the Army and later a two-term president. Unwavering and dedicated, he had a deep-set of personal beliefs and never faltered from his chosen path.
He called morality “a necessary spring of popular government” and while in command of the army he ordered “vice and immorality of every kind discouraged.” Accustomed to undertaking daily devotions, he ordered worship for the army every Sunday and had twenty thousand Bibles imported for the troops. He even had the audacity to state “to the distinguished character of Patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian.” Can you imagine how those who worship at the altar of the ‘separation of church and state’ would react to such actions and utterances?
He was devoted and married to the same woman his entire life and appears to have never fallen for the temptation of affairs or mistresses during his marriage. His army was probably the first in history to not have a large corp of camp followers filled with harlots and trollops following in its wake. He firmly forbade looting of any kind and quickly drummed out of the army those caught engaging in sodomy....
http://www.militianews.com/original-right-wing-extremist/
He is also one of the finest men and finest Americans who has ever lived.
There have been many who rose to greatness throughout our history but George Washington is a giant among them all.
The beginning of our downfall coincides with the time when schools stopped inculcating reverence for George Washington and our Founders, and when they began teaching the politically correct history of America in place of the true history of our founding and development.
This is the picture that hangs in a place of honor in our home and will until the day we die:
I think it was Nixon who first called it “Presidents Day,” probably thinking that both Washington and Lincoln should be honored. Of course now it is often taken as honoring all of the Presidents, many of which do not deserve being honored and a few of which should have been sent to prison for things they did in office. Lincoln’s birthday had never been a federal holiday, just a state holiday in some states.
Absolutely true.
Here we are, on a thread on Free Republic, on a National Holiday designated as a day in celebration of George Washington's birthday, and all we have are 13 posts counting this one.
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