Fly Your Flag on George Washington's Birthday – February 16, 2009

Many of you may be thinking, “I thought today was Presidents Day, not George Washington's birthday.” Well, you're right and you're wrong. According to Federal law, the third Monday in February is the official observation of “George Washington's Birthday,” despite the fact that February 22nd is his actual date of birth. However, states are free to call this Federal holiday whatever they choose. Many states have decided to dub this day as “Presidents Day” in an effort to honor all of our presidents, but most importantly Abraham Lincoln.

Not too long ago, it was common to celebrate both Washington's and Lincoln's birthdays. Washington's birthday has been a Federal holiday since 1885 but Lincoln's birthday has never been officially recognized by the Federal government. Many states (outside of the old Confederacy) celebrated Lincoln's birthday as a legal holiday. In 1968, Congress passed a law which moved the official observation of Washington's birthday from February 22nd to the third Monday in February. Some reformers wanted the day changed to “Presidents Day” but Congress refused. Yet, there is a misconception which still exists today that the day was changed to Presidents Day, a misconception that has been reinforced by the fact that the third Monday of February will always fall between February 15 and 21. This means that the holiday will always be after Lincoln's birthday and before Washington's birthday. When this law passed, some states dropped the observance of Lincoln's birthday altogether assuming that the two presidential birthdays had been combined. As a result, the states use of Presidents Day has gained a strong public foothold, especially with its use on calendars, in advertising and by some government agencies.

So, there you have it. Today is actually George Washington's birthday. Call it what you will, but we will celebrate it as such and honor one of the greatest men to live in our country's history. Fly your flag today to show that you too honor our first President of the United States.