Abraham Lincoln’s

Birthday

Ferris, Jean Louis Gerome, Artist, and Publisher Detroit Publishing Co. Abraham Lincoln raising flag and speaking to crowd from platform. [Between 1900 and 1920] https://www.loc.gov/item/2016817491/.

Ask any group of Americans who was the greatest President, and the answer you are most likely to get is, Abraham Lincoln. Stands to reason, Great Emancipator, Honest Abe, Author of a New Birth of Freedom. In addition to ending slavery and preserving the Union, his administration changed the direction of this country by passing the Homestead Act, establishing land grant colleges, and uniting the nation, east to west, by approving the Transcontinental Railroad. No president, other than the first, had a more lasting affect on America.  However, his birthday is not a federal holiday.

Julian Frances, a pharmacist from Buffalo, New York, made creating a holiday his life’s goal. In 1867, he organized the first public celebration of Lincoln’s birth which included speeches, prayers, and singing. While he succeeded at the state level, he failed nationally.

Part of the problem was, many southerners were still feeling the effects of the Civil War and failed to see Lincoln as a hero. With the nation’s centennial approaching, some worried about Lincoln overshadowing George Washington. By 1890, 10 states observed Lincoln’s Birthday and by 1940 over half the states recognized the day. Attempts to make the day a federal holiday continued to fail.

Even though Lincoln's birthday is not a federal holiday, it is a Flag Holiday. So, fly your Flag and remember the man who kept this country one nation.