Federal holidays in the United States

History

The history of national holidays in the United States dates back to June 28, 1870, when Congress created national holidays "to correspond with similar laws of States around the District...and...in every State of the Union." Although at first applicable only to federal employees in Washington, D.C., Congress extended coverage in 1885 to all federal employees.

The original four holidays in 1870 were:

• New Year's Day
• Independence Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Christmas Day

New Years Day celebrates the beginning of the new calendar year on January 1. The July 4th Independence Day commemorates the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776.

On October 3, 1789, at the request of the U.S. Congress, President George Washington issued a Thanksgiving proclamation designating November 26, 1789 as a day of "public thanksgiving and prayer" for the "People of the United States". Thanksgiving has been proclaimed in the U.S. for various months and days of the week, including March, August, September, November, December, and on Sundays. Since 1941, it has been celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November.

Celebrated on December 25 around the world, Christmas is the day that Christians remember the birth and incarnation of Jesus Christ. In the United States, Christmas Day as a federal or public holiday is sometimes objected to by various non-Christians, usually due to its ties with Christianity. In December 1999, the Western Division of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, in the case Ganulin v. United States, denied the charge that Christmas Day's federal status violated the Establishment Clause of the Constitution, ruling that "the Christmas holiday has become largely secularized", and that "by giving federal employees a paid vacation day on Christmas, the government is doing no more than recognizing the cultural significance of the holiday".

George Washington's Birthday became a federal holiday in 1879. In 1888 and 1894, respectively, Decoration Day (later Memorial Day) and Labor Day were created. Armistice Day was established in 1938 to honor the end of World War I, and the scope of the holiday was expanded to honor American soldiers who fought in World War II and the Korean War when it was renamed Veterans Day in 1954, commemorating all veterans.

In 1968, the Uniform Monday Holiday Act gave several holidays "floating" dates so that they always fall on a Monday, and also established Columbus Day.

In 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed the bill that created Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It was first observed three years later, although some states resisted making it a state holiday. It was finally celebrated both nationally and by each of the states in 2000. King's birthday is January 15.

On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed the law that made June 19 a federal holiday. Officially designated as "Juneteenth National Independence Day", Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, symbolic of the ending of slavery in the United States at the conclusion of the American Civil War.

List of federal holidays

Most of the 11 U.S. federal holidays are also state holidays. Five of the "floating" date holidays always fall on a Monday; the remaining floating holiday, Thanksgiving, is always on a Thursday. The rest are on fixed dates. A fixed date holiday that falls on a weekend (Saturday and Sunday) is usually observed for federal employees on the closest weekday: a holiday falling on a Saturday is observed on the preceding Friday, while a holiday falling on a Sunday is observed on the succeeding Monday. The official names come from the statute that defines holidays for federal employees.

Inauguration Day, held on January 20 every four years following a quadrennial presidential election, if not falling on the Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., is considered a paid holiday for federal employees in the Washington, D.C., area by the Office of Personnel Management. It is not considered a federal holiday in the United States equivalent to the eleven holidays mentioned above.

Although many states recognize most or all federal holidays as state holidays, the federal government cannot enact laws to compel them to do so. States can recognize other days as state holidays that are not federal holidays. For example, the State of Texas recognizes all federal holidays except Columbus Day, and recognizes the Friday after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and the day after Christmas as state holidays.

Texas does not follow the federal rule of closing either the Friday before, if a holiday falls on a Saturday, or the Monday after if a holiday falls on a Sunday. Offices are open on those Fridays or Mondays. Texas has "partial staffing holidays", such as March 2, which is Texas Independence Day, and "optional holidays", such as Good Friday.

Private employers are not required to observe federal or state holidays, the key exception being federally-chartered banks. Some private employers, often by a union contract, pay a differential such as time-and-a-half or double-time to employees who work on some federal holidays. Employees not specifically covered by a union contract might only receive their standard pay for working on a federal holiday, depending on the company policy.

Legal holidays due to presidential proclamation

Main article: List of observances in the United States by presidential proclamation

Federal law also provides for the declaration of other public holidays by the President of the United States. Generally the president will provide a reasoning behind the elevation of the day, and call on the people of the United States to observe the day "with appropriate ceremonies and activities."

Examples of presidentially declared holidays were the days of the funerals for former Presidents Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, George H. W. Bush, and Jimmy Carter; when federal government offices are closed and employees given a paid holiday.

In addition, occasionally the President will grant Christmas Eve as a holiday or partial holiday (the latter generally being four hours for full-time employees).

Proposed federal holidays

Many other federal holidays have been proposed. However, as the U.S. federal government is a large employer, these holidays are expensive. If a holiday is controversial, opposition will generally prevent any bill enacting it from passing. For example, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, marking King's birthday, took much effort to pass and for all states to recognize it. It was not until 2000 that this holiday was officially observed in all 50 states.

The following list is an example of holidays that have been proposed and reasons why they are not observed at the federal level. Some of these holidays are observed at the state level.

Controversy

Some Native American groups protest the observance of Columbus Day, mainly due to the controversy of Columbus' arrival to the Americas. Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin do not recognize Columbus Day. Nevada recognizes it, but schools and most businesses remain open because it falls too close to Nevada Day (which is a full holiday). Hawaii and South Dakota mark the day with an alternative holiday or observance. South Dakota is the only state to recognize Native American Day as an official state holiday.

References

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