How Presidents Day went from George Washington’s modest birthday to big sales and 3-day weekends – By Ben Finley (AP News) / Feb 18, 2024
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — 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 tyrant.
And yet the nation will once again commemorate the first U.S. president on Monday, 292 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 consumerism bonanza it has become today. For some historians the holiday has lost all discernible meaning.
Historian Alexis Coe, author of “You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George of Washington,” said she thinks about Presidents Day in much the same way as the towering monument in D.C. that bears his name.
