Which Federal Holiday in February Is Not Actually Presidents’ Day?Did you know? The nation has celebrated the birth of its first president since 1885. Since Congress moved the holiday to the third Monday of February in 1968, it has been colloquially known as Presidents’ Day. That’s partly because Abraham Lincoln’s birthday is Feb. 12, but the official holiday is “Washington’s Birthday.” Interestingly, George Washington was actually born on Feb. 11, 1731, according to the then-used Julian calendar. The 1752 adoption of the Gregorian calendar shifted his birth date to Feb. 22, 1732. Click on the video above to find out just some of the exciting ways that the Grateful American™ Foundation has been restoring enthusiasm in American history since Presidents’ Day 2014.
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February 20, 2017 is the third anniversary of David Bruce Smith’s Grateful American™ Foundation, an organization dedicated to restoring enthusiasm in American history — for kids, and adults!
David and I have been privileged to interview the historians at many of the nation’s preeminent presidential and historic homes, including George Washington’s Mount Vernon, President Lincoln’s Cottage, James and Dolley Madison’s Montpelier, and Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello.
Then, last July 4, we took another step toward getting students excited about American history when we launched Grateful American™ Kids and started to feature kids as the stars of our videos. If you missed it, be sure to take a look at our first music video, “Grateful American™ Kids Rock,” featuring first, second, and third graders from The Steward School in Richmond, VA.
Last fall, fourth graders from another Richmond school, Sabot at Stony Point, helped bring Revolutionary Era painter Charles Willson Peale to life in the setting where several of his paintings are on display — at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
“Our goal is to have students teach students about what’s fascinating, fun, and fantastic about American history,” says Smith, an author, and publisher based in Washington, DC, who writes and publishes books about figures in American history. “This year, we’ll be rolling out, even more videos to inspire students and their families.”
To learn more visit Grateful American™ Foundation
