Perspectives: Presidents Day 2022
Summary from the AllSides News Team
How are different sides of the political spectrum discussing the Presidents Day holiday this year?
The third Monday in February is a U.S. federal holiday, commemorating George Washington's birthday of Feb. 22. Today, the day is used to reflect on Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and other past presidents and their efforts to build the U.S. into a civilized nation. The day is also a good time to reflect on common ground between former presidents from different parties, such as George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. Banks, government agencies and the U.S. Post Office are all closed Monday, and many students and private sector workers have the day off.
Presidents Day coverage across the spectrum recalled inspirational quotes from Washington, Lincoln, Biden, former Presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama, and others. Voices on the left were more critical of how the holidays is celebrated and what it represents. The Washington Post's editorial board (Lean Left bias) used the moment to reflect on the purported dangers Trump presents to democracy. Voices on the right were more likely to celebrate the legacies of past presidents such as Washington and Lincoln; Dan McLaughlin, writing for National Review (Right bias), argued that the day is meant to celebrate Washington's birthday, rather than to recognize all presidents.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
It’s Time To Cancel Presidents Day
The fracturing of society in recent years under the strain of Donald Trump’s presidency and the racial reckoning spurred by George Floyd’s murder has had one positive consequence: A widespread awakening of interest in the American past.
Curiosity about the country’s history has been a pathway to something more bracing: Sharp arguments about the meaning of the past, and about the lessons people living today should draw from the lives of people who died long ago.
Long-forgotten lives, like the dozens of people killed in the Tulsa race massacre, are...
From the Center
Presidents Day 2022: Inspirational Quotes By Biden, Trump, Obama And Others
Presidents Day is celebrated annually on the third Monday in February to honor the past and present U.S. presidents.
Although the day was initially established to commemorate the birth of George Washington, who was born Feb. 22, 1732, it is now recognized as a time to celebrate all presidents and the contributions they have made to the country.
Here are some inspirational quotes, courtesy Brainy Quote, from notable American presidents:
1. “Failure at some point in your life is inevitable, but giving up is unforgivable.” ― Joe Biden
2. “Without passion you don't have energy, without energy you have...
From the Right
Today, Celebrate George Washington’s Birthday
Today is a federal holiday. That holiday is not “Presidents’ Day.” No such holiday exists in law. It is George Washington’s birthday.
Washington’s birthday has been celebrated since he was encamped with our first army at Valley Forge in 1778. It first became an official state holiday in Massachusetts in 1856, and a federal holiday in 1879. Since the 1968 passage of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which subordinated historical accuracy to the preferences of federal workers for three-day weekends, Washington’s birthday has been celebrated on the third Monday of February, which...
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