MLK, Lincoln and The Myth of the Merged Holiday

Why History Should Matter More Than Sales

There is a myth out there that we used to honor Abraham Lincoln (born Feb 12) and George Washington (born Feb 22) separately with two national holidays, and that this was reduced to “President’s Day” on the third Monday in February in order to make room on the calendar for a day honoring Martin Luther King Jr (born Jan 15) on the third Monday in January. Except that is not how it all started.

George Washington remains the honored Father of his Country. But too many Americans take their cues from retail marketing and not from history, and the loudness of the commercial voice is indeed a crime against our national culture. Not everything needs to be about making a buck or chasing sales.

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