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US Presidents Day: How it evolved from reverence to retail

The federal government officially recognizes Monday as Washington's Birthday, not Presidents Day, which has not celebrated any president's actual birthday for over 50 years.
Historian Alexis Coe commented that the holiday is supposed to honor Washington, but it lacks discernible meaning and recognizable traditions today.
Hunter Abell, a Republican state legislator from Washington, remarked that celebrating all presidents means we inadvertently celebrate none.
Washington's Mount Vernon estate believes his character and accomplishments should not be obscured by a vague holiday like Presidents Day.

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VOA News

US Presidents Day: How it evolved from reverence to retail

Norfolk, Virginia — Like the other Founding Fathers, George Washington was uneasy about the idea of publicly celebrating his life. He was the first leader of a new republic, not a king. And yet the United States will once again commemorate its first president Monday, 293 years after he was born. The meaning of Presidents Day has changed dramatically, from being mostly unremarkable and filled with work for Washington in the 1700s to the bonanza o…

6 days ago·United States

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Japan Today

How Presidents Day has evolved from reverence to retail in U.S.

Like the other Founding Fathers, George Washington was uneasy about the idea of publicly celebrating his life. He was the first leader of a new republic, not a king. And yet the United States will once again commemorate its first president on Monday, 293 years after he was born. The…

6 days ago·Sakado, Japan

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Boston Herald

From reverence to retail

NORFOLK, Va. — Like the other Founding Fathers, George Washington was uneasy about the idea of publicly celebrating his life. He was the first leader of a new republic, not a king. And yet the United States is once again celebrating its first president, 293 years after he was born. The meaning of Presidents Day has changed dramatically, from being mostly unremarkable and filled with work for Washington in the 1700s to the bonanza of consumerism …

6 days ago·Boston, United States

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Time Magazine

How Presidents Day Has Evolved From Reverence to Retail

NORFOLK, Va. — Like the other Founding Fathers, George Washington was uneasy about the idea of publicly celebrating his life. He was the first leader of a new republic, not a king. And yet the United States will once again commemorate its first president on Monday, 293 years after he was born. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The meaning of Presidents Day has changed dramatically, from being mostly unremarkable and filled with work for Washingto…

7 days ago·United States

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Associated Press News

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How Presidents Day has evolved from reverence to retail

The meaning of Presidents Day has changed dramatically over the centuries.

7 days ago·United States

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New York Theater

11 U.S. Presidents on the Arts from George Washington to the Present

Donald Trump took over as chairman of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts – which he told reporters he had never visited – on the birthday last week of Abraham Lincoln, who was a frequent theatergoer. Attitudes and actions involving the arts have varied considerably from president to president, and Presidents Day, a federal holiday that this year is being celebrated today, seems a good time to sample that history. George Washingt…

5 days ago

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