President's Day

President's Day

Many years ago, I had the opportunity to visit Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills near Rapid City, South Dakota. I got to see the sculptures of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. Four dynamic presidents who had made a significant contribution to the history of the United States.

Mount Rushmore was majestic in so many ways.  It was the perfect day for my visit.

It's a good thing I brought my camera.

President's Day Holiday

This year we celebrated President's Day on February 18, 2019. What is President's Day? According to World Book Online,

"Presidents' Day is an annual holiday observed in the United States to honor the nation's presidents, especially George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. It is celebrated on the third Monday in February. The birthdays of Washington and Lincoln fall near or on the holiday. Washington, the nation's first president, was born on Feb. 22, 1732, according to the calendar we now use. Lincoln, who served as president during the American Civil War (1861-1865), was born on Feb. 12, 1809.

A federal holiday called Washington's Birthday also occurs on the third Monday in February. It became a legal public holiday in 1971. Later, many states adopted Presidents' Day instead, to honor not only Washington, but other presidents as well, especially Lincoln. Presidents' Day is sometimes called Washington-Lincoln Day.

On Presidents' Day, banks, government offices, libraries, and schools close. Most private businesses remain open. Many stores hold Presidents' Day sales."

Learning from History

I have a modest appreciation of history and I firmly believe in the adage, "If we do not learn from history, then we are destined to repeat it." There is another saying about history in an ancient Klingon quote from the television show Star Trek, "History is written by the victor."

We must study history from all angles to come close to finding out what really happened. I needed to step outside the history books to find out more about the presidents of the United States.

I have visited the presidential libraries of Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, Herbert Hoover, Harry Truman, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton. I have also visited a number of presidential hometowns, houses and grave sites.

No matter the character flaws of each individual president, no matter one's personal politics, it always seemed that the right person was in office at the right time to face the nearly insurmountable crisis of their time. Our nations' survival after 243 years is a testament to this.

The United States has a form of government that had never been attempted before. Each president in our history has been entrusted to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic. Democracy is a great experiment. Not many countries have the option for an election of a leader followed by a peaceful transfer of power.

Recently I visited the Mississippi State Capitol and watched as Mississippi senators held a Christian prayer and said the Pledge of Allegiance before getting down to the business of politics. It was extraordinary. It was refreshing.

I'm a veteran and I've had the privilege of wearing the military uniform. To me President's Day is a reminder that we have had extraordinary leaders in our nation's history.