George Washington, Father of our Country

Daily News Article   —   Posted on February 18, 2019

NOTE: Presidents’ Day, is a federal holiday held on the third Monday of February. Lincoln’s birthday (Feb. 12) and Washington’s birthday (Feb. 22) used to be celebrated separately before the two were combined into Presidents’ Day.

Friday’s post was on Abraham Lincoln.

ON WASHINGTON’S BIRTHDAY: (from archives.gov)

  • George Washington was born on 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.
  • In 1862, prompted by a memorial from the mayor and other citizens of Philadelphia, the U.S. 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.
  • In 1971, Congress switched Washington’s Birthday holiday from his birthdate, Feb. 22, to the third Monday in February and it evolved into being called “Presidents Day.” The day now celebrates both Washington’s birthday and President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, which is Feb. 12.
  • Read Washington’s Farewell Address at gwpapers.virginia.edu

GEORGE WASHINGTON AND THE CONSTITUTION:

  • In 2012, George Washington’s personal copy of the Constitution, in which he had written notes, sold at auction for $9.8 million.
  • The Mt. Vernon Ladies Association bought it.
  • It allowed us to see, for the first time, how cautiously our first president assumed the office, his eyes not toward history but the future.
  • Next to two passages explicating the signing of a bill into law, which he bracketed, Washington has written in cursive, “President.”
  • He also inscribed “Presidential Powers” next to the paragraphs that lay out the president’s role as commander-in-chief, as well as his authority to grant pardons, make treaties and appoint Supreme Court justices.
  • Beneath that, in the paragraph that reads, “He shall from time to time give Congress information of the state of the union,” Washington has added “required,” and it was he who established the address as an annual event.

CHALLENGE:  How many times have you read through the entire Constitution?  Read through the U.S. Constitution every day for a week.  For the full text, go to the U.S. Archives: archives.gov

George Washington at the Battle of Trenton.