By Luis Rogriguez
Staff Writer
With President’s Day on Monday, national sales are in full bloom. Unfortunately, not many know much about the holiday besides its commercial aspect.
The holiday that originated on Feb. 22, 1885, celebrated the birthday of George Washington; however, it was switched to the third Monday of February after Congress signed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act in 1968 in order to celebrate all presidents, both former and current. Now, neither are the main focus of President’s Day.
Some people believe that it is no longer about honoring presidents but honoring national sales and an extended weekend. This was not always the case. In the past, schools used time in class to learn about the history of U.S presidents, particularly Washington and Lincoln.
“To be honest, the day goes by without my even realizing it is here, unless I happen to be paying attention to sales,” U.S History professor Dr. Karen Robbins said. “That was not the case when I was young, as each man had his own day and we got them off from school, and time was taken in class to learn about [the different presidents].”
Besides shopping and saving money on sales, not many people know how to celebrate President’s Day. Some students could not associate President’s Day with anything specific, not even referencing Lincoln himself.
“The only thing I can think of is car sales,” sophomore business major Diego Emiliano said when asked about President’s Day.
Students do not look forward to learning about U.S. presidents, but to having a day off of school. However, college students and professors do not have the luxury of the three-day weekend. Class will be in session for St. Bonaventure students.
Although people do use President’s Day to re-enact historical events and to express their patriotism, it is still overshadowed by various advertisements and sales.
“I believe Congress should change the name to National Figurehead Day or Wall Street Day,” Mark Phillips, Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) academic skills specialist said.
There have been many great presidents in the past, who should be honored in U.S. history. But the only Lincoln that gets celebrated on this day is the Lincoln Motor Company.
