Tag Archives: Washington’s Birthday

Happy birthday, George Washington!

Even though we as a nation celebrated his birthday holiday on Monday, today—February 22—is George Washington’s actual birthday. (To learn more about Washington’s life and career, read our short biography here.) To celebrate, and to consider what George Washington’s legacy means for us today, read Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.’s “Ode for Washington’s Birthday.” Holmes (1809–94) wrote this poem for the Boston Mercantile Library Association’s celebration of Washington’s birthday … Read more »

A Trip to Mount Vernon

Yesterday, on George Washington’s birthday holiday, hundreds of Washington admirers flocked to Washington’s home at Mount Vernon to celebrate the life of our first president—whose actual birthday, by the way, is coming up on Friday. A recurring theme of our recent posts on Washington has been to ask the question: How are we, 200 years removed, to think about Washington?

How to celebrate Washington’s Birthday holiday

Monday is George Washington’s birthday holiday—or, as it is more popularly known, Presidents’ Day. How should we as a nation observe the day? Is there more to the day than mattress sales and a day off from work?

Americans in the past have certainly thought so. In 1832, the centennial year of George Washington’s birthday, Daniel Webster said that “a hundred years hence, other disciples of Washington will celebrate … Read more »

George Washington for our time

On December 26, 1799, Henry Lee delivered the immortal words that George Washington was “first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.” This was undoubtedly true—200 years ago. Today, the power of the name has faded, and come Monday we are more likely to celebrate Presidents’ Day sales than we are the presidents themselves. And although the federal holiday remains “Washington’s Birthday” … Read more »

Do we celebrate Washington’s Birthday or Presidents’ Day?

With the federal holiday celebrating George Washington’s birthday just around the corner—on Monday, February 18—it’s a good time to raise the question: Do we celebrate Washington’s Birthday or Presidents’ Day? This introduction to Washington’s Birthday comes from our new ebook on the holiday; check back here later today for complete readings.

Remembering the birthday of George Washington—February 22, 1732—should be a particularly cherished national obligation. Americans celebrated Washington’s Birthday … Read more »