Feb. 14, 2021 – Monday is a federal holiday. It’s officially George Washington’s Birthday. But because both President George Washington and President Abraham Lincoln share February as their birth month, the holiday has come to unofficially be known as Presidents Day. Either way, it’s a three-day weekend to enjoy. Read some history, celebrate Valentine’s Day with heart and show birds some love through the Great Backyard Bird Count!

Read some history
For information and suggested reading about the nation’s first and sixteenth president, a good place to start is their respective presidential centers and libraries.

Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon was George Washington’s beloved estate in Virginia. It’s a few miles from Washington D.C. and 150 miles from Philadelphia, both seats of the federal government at one time.

In Philadelphia, the Continental Congress met to declare independence from England in 1776. After the American Revolution ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783, the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia to adopt Articles of Confederation. Because of the weak role of the federal government in the Articles, representatives from all of the states met in 1787 to revise the Articles. What resulted is the U.S. Constitution, the nation’s founding document.

The founding document was adopted in 1787 and ratified by the required three-fourths of the states (nine at the time) in 1789. George Washington was elected president by state electors. John Adams became vice president after receiving the second highest number of votes. Eventually, the U.S. Constitution was amended so that the president and vice president ran on one ticket.

The federal government began operations on March 4, 1789. George Washington was inaugurated the nation’s first president in New York City on April 30, 1789. Travel in the 18th century was difficult, especially during the winter. There were only two ways to travel – by foot or by horseback.

The distance from Mount Vernon to New York City is about 240 miles. It took weeks, not days or hours to cover that distance in the 1700s.

For more information and suggested reading about George Washington, visit Mount Vernon. The Mount Vernon Ladies Association acquired the estate in 1858 and has been operating it ever since. It’s open to the public 365 days per year.

The Washington Monument in Washington D.C. is managed by the National Park Service (NPS). It’s another good site to learn about George Washington.

Finally, the Museum of the American Revolution is steps away from Independence Hall in Philadelphia where the nation’s founding documents were written .

Abraham Lincoln
There are many sites to visit to learn about the life of Abraham Lincoln. Born in Kentucky, his family moved to Indiana when Lincoln was a young boy. He was a voracious reader and eventually studied to practice law. He moved to Springfield, Illinois where he set up his law practice. Springfield is the capital of Illinois so Lincoln lived and worked at the heart of his state’s politics and government.

In 1846, Lincoln was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a member of the Whig Party. He had announced he would only serve one term. He was opposed to slavery. The antislavery cohort of the Whig Party eventually broke off and formed the Republican Party.

In 1858, Lincoln ran for one of two Illinois seats to the U.S. Senate. He and Stephen Douglas, his opponent, held a series of debates that have been widely studied as a reflection into that era of American history. Lincoln lost the election but two years later, won the Republican nomination for the presidency. He was elected president in 1860. Southern states did not vote for Lincoln and began seceding from the Union, which then erupted into the American Civil War. The war lasted for four years from 1861-1865, Lincoln’s entire first term. He was re-elected in 1864, was inaugurated on March 4 and assassinated on April 14, 1865 while watching a play at Ford’s Theatre in the nation’s capital.

Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC)
After reading some history, grab a pair of binoculars to participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count. It’s sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and continues through tomorrow.

Valentine’s Day
And of course, don’t forget to show a little heart to family and friends today!

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. What is the official name of the Feb.15, 2021 federal holiday?

2. What is the unofficial name of the holiday?

3. When was George Washington inaugurated? What took place before he was inaugurated?

4. When was Abraham Lincoln elected president?

5. What happened as soon as he was elected? Why did it happen?

INQUIRY QUESTIONS

1. What did George Washington and Abraham Lincoln have in common other than both being born in February?

2. Read the headline. How are history and heart connected in some ways during the holiday weekend?