Lincoln’s Birthday – A Holiday To Remember

On the anniversary of Abraham Lincoln‘s birth on February 12, 1809, in Hodgenville (Hodgensville, Hodgen’s Mill), Kentucky, Lincoln’s Birthday is a recognized official holiday in various U.S. states. The holiday is observed in Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Texas, California, Missouri, and New York.

The 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who presided over the country between 1861 and 1865. Lincoln was successful in ending slavery, strengthening the federal government, and modernizing the American economy by leading the Union through the American Civil War to defend the country as a constitutional union.

The birthday of Abraham Lincoln is not a stand-alone holiday in many other states. Instead, on the third Monday in February, in conjunction with the federal holiday, Presidents’ Day or Washington’s Birthday is coupled with a commemoration of President George Washington‘s birthday (also in February).

American military soldier, statesman, and Founding Father George Washington presided over the country as its first leader from 1789 to 1797. Washington, who was chosen as the Continental Army’s commander by the Continental Congress, presided over the 1787 Constitutional Convention, which drafted and passed the United States federal constitution and led Patriot forces to victory in the American Revolution. Because of his numerous contributions to the creation of the country, Washington has earned the moniker “Father of his Country.”

Let’s get to know more about presidents’ birthdays!

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The History Behind.

Lincoln’s birthday was celebrated for the first time in Buffalo, New York, in either 1873 or 1874. A Buffalo druggist named Julius Francis (d. 1881) dedicated his life to paying tribute to the dead president. He constantly asked Congress to declare January 12th as a legal holiday.

Both the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., and the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site in Hodgenville, Kentucky, hold customary wreath-laying rituals to commemorate the day. Since the Memorial’s dedication, a ceremony has been held in the last location.

Since that time in 1922, celebrations have continued to be planned by the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States and the Lincoln Birthday National Commemorative Committee (MOLLUS). In accordance with a tradition that is likewise observed at the graves of all departed former presidents of the United States on their birthdays, the President of the United States places a wreath there. Illinois’ Springfield is home to Lincoln’s tomb.

Lincoln’s 200th birthday was celebrated in style at the Lincoln Memorial’s yearly wreath-laying ceremony on February 12, 2009. A lengthy ceremony was held by the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission (ALBC) with assistance from MOLLUS. It included musical performances by the U.S. Marine Corps Band and four-time Grammy-nominated singer Michael Feinstein.

Additionally speaking at the morning celebration was Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, Lincoln expert Harold Holzer, recently retired Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Rhode Island Frank J. Williams, and author Nikki Giovanni reading from her most recent work, which was written especially for the Bicentennial.

The U.S. Mint issued four new Lincoln pennies to commemorate the bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth. The commemorative coins have brand-new reverse designs depicting his life’s different eras. The initial one was released on September 12, 2009.

The front still features the typical headshot of Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln as a young man reading while perched on a log that he was taking a break from splitting, Lincoln as a state politician in front of the Illinois Capitol, and the nearly completed dome of the U.S. Capitol are among the new renderings.

The Public Employee Pension and Benefits Reform Act of 2008 was passed on May 23, 2008, and the state of New Jersey began celebrating the holiday on that day.

Origin Of Black History Month.

Black communities in the United States celebrated Lincoln’s birthday in the 19th century, which is where Black History Month got its start. Black communities began commemorating Lincoln’s birthday on February 14 together with that of abolitionist and former slave Frederick Douglass by the early 20th century.

In order to coincide with the customary Black observances of both men’s birthdays, historian Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History declared the second week of February to be “Negro History Week” in 1926. “Negro History Week” had changed to “Black History Month” by the 1970s. Black History Month has spread to other countries like Canada, where it is also observed in February, and the UK, where it is observed in October.