Who Were Presidents?

Who Were Presidents?

Presidents’ Day was first started in 1880 by the U.S. government for government offices in the District of Columbia and was later extended to include all federal offices in 1885. The holiday is the first federal holiday to honor an American citizen. Until 1971 the holiday was celebrated on February 22, which is Washington’s birthday. In 1971 the Uniform Monday Holiday Act shifted the holiday to the third Monday in February.

George Washington served as the first President of the United States from 1789-1797. Before he was president, Washington led the Continental Army to victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War. Early in his career Washington was praised as the ‘Father of His Country. Read more about Washington’s contributions in American History magazine, The Economist and Time magazine.

In the 1980s due largely to a push from retail advertisers, the name Presidents’ Day began being used instead of ‘Washington’s Birthday.’ At this time the holiday was expanded to honor President Abraham Lincoln who was also born in February. Read more about retail advertisers in BusinessWeek, Money and Forbes magazine.

Lincoln was the sixteenth President of the United States. He successfully led the country through one of its greatest crisis, the American Civil War. Lincoln, the first Republican to be elected, was assassinated near the end of war in 1885. His death solidified him as a martyr to many Americans. Over the years, including in modern times, repeated polls of Americans has ranked Lincoln as the greatest president in American history. Lincoln’s legacy is one of upholding honesty, integrity and equality for all Americans. Read more about Lincoln’s contributions in Politics magazine, BusinessWeek and American History magazine.

Though many states now observe Presidents’ Day, it is not all-inclusive. In Massachusetts the state celebrates ‘Washington’s Birthday’ and the state law requires the governor to issue an annual ‘Presidents’ Day’ honoring presidents from Massachusetts, which includes John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Calvin Coolidge and John F. Kennedy.

The state of Alabama also observes the day as ‘Washington and Jefferson Day’ though Thomas Jefferson’s birthday is in April. Still, states New Jersey, Connecticut, California and Illinois celebrate Lincoln’s birthday on February 12, his actual birthday.

Presidents’ Day has become a day that retail stores, most notably car dealers, celebrate with sales. Up until the late 1980s most businesses closed on this holiday; many schools and non-retail businesses still remain closed in observance of Presidents Day.

Celebrations of Presidents’ Day vary from community to community. Alexandria, VA is host of the longest Presidents’ Day celebration with its month-long tribute that includes the longest George Washington Birthday parade.

By: Felicity N Grant

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The 1st Black President

On June 3rd, 2008 Illinois Senator Barack Obama claimed the Democratic presidential nominee, and with this honor Obama become the first black candidate ever nominated by a major political party for the nation’s highest office. While breaking this barrier, the question must be asked, is America ready for Obama? Besides the change in policies that Obama represents, his nomination will bring a change in America racially. Is America ready for a black president? Is it conceivable to think that a place where blacks were once enslaved could rise above racial disrimination and elect a black man for president?

Will white Americans and even some black Americans really vote for a black president to hold the nations highest position? Or, will he fall victim to the the politically correct population? The people who will smile in your face and say that they will/would vote for a black man because they don’t want to be viewed as a racist (or feel that is the right thing to say especially if you are black) but behind close doors know that they will not vote for Obama? The polls are saying that older whites, and non-college educated whites will not vote for Obama; and that Obama’s supporters are comprised of black Americans and young white college educated Americans who probably won’t go out and actually cast a vote.

There are some older white blue collar democrats that supported and voted for Hillary Clinton who have stated they are staunch democrats, always vote for a Democrat but would never vote for Obama. I am specifically pointing out this group of people due to all the coverage this demographic received while the West Virginia primaries occurred.

There probably are white collar black and white voters who also feel this way but I am just going to point out what was shown on EVERY single news outlet during the voting. Many white Hillary supporters stated they are willing to sacrifice their political beliefs because they can’t bear the thought of having a black man as president regardless if they agree with his views or not. Some even said they didn’t think Obama was an American and that he was a Muslim. Now I know the media didn’t show everyone they interviewed, like the people who said they would consider Obama and not make a quick judgment and not vote for him, but as usual the media likes to stir things up by showing footage that would get a rise out of their viewers and get under people’s skin. That’s what they do. You have to be smart enough to decipher what is fact and what is fiction. Just because it’s on the news doesn’t mean it true.

Just like with the polls. One minute Obama is blowing McCain out of the water then a few hours later or a channel change they are saying they are neck and neck, or McCain is ahead. The media is saying to you if you don’t like these numbers you better make sure you get out and vote if you want your candidate to win. Don’t feel comfortable if your candidate is ahead in these polls, the numbers we are hearing now don’t matter, what matters is the final number on election day. So regardless of who you like you must get out and vote because EVERY vote DOES count!

I wonder if America is truly ready for Obama (or any other black candidate) because some news outlets, and on some specific news stations, the media is making the 2008 election a race issue. They constantly want to break everything up into black Americans feel this way, white Americans feel that way, Hispanic Americans feel that way, etc. Why isn’t it Americans feel this way. Regardless of one’s race, deep down we all want the same basic necessities; health care, education for our children, stable economy, affordable housing, a government we can believe and trust in, etc. These hopes are not defined by ones color so the media should not use race when speaking of Obama. He is not only a black man (actually he is part white too), his race is a small part of who he is. It’s ironic that they always use black when describing him, when he wasn’t even raised by black people and his mother was white. I would think he would relate more to whites because that is who raised him and who he grew up with. But, this takes us back to the one drop rule, if you have one drop of black blood you are black. The media shouldn’t always bring up Obama’s race. Discuss his issues and not his color, or absentee father.

They never say older Americans feel this way, or veterans feel this way when speaking of McCain. Speaking of that why is it they always bring up McCain being a POW? Is (or isn’t he) more than that? The issues should be what this election is all about. On some stations anchors are still harboring on the issue of Rev. Wright. This can be seen on The View, whenever the topic of Obama and his issues comes up Elisabeth Hasselbeck always reverts back to Obamas association to the Reverend. Lets move forward and decide if we want to vote for Obama based on his views, and voting history and what he will bring to the oval office.

Now if you don’t want to vote for Obama because you don’t agree with his message and desire of change, or you feel he doesn’t have enough experience, that is fine; but to not vote for him because of the color of his skin, takes us back to a problem that unfortunately in America won’t go away - the issue of race. In the United States, race and racism is something we can’t escape from. Why, I don’t know. Maybe if Obama is elected President the lines of communication will open and racism will take a bold step into being non-existent. (I doubt it, but anything is possible-look there IS a black man who has a good chance of being the president, so never say never.)

Other nations see the idea of the United States having a black president as something positive but here in the United States that idea is unthinkable to many. Some members of the KKK and other hate groups have stated that their membership is on the rise due to the thought of having a black man as the president of the United States. Race to many is more important than the issues, and speaking of issues what does Obama really stand for?

Do you believe the hype? Will he really be able to make a change that his entire platform consist of? Personally, I feel that regardless of who is elected President there is only so much that can REALISTICALLY be done. The President can hope for things to change and try to make changes, but without support from Congress not much can really happen. Change is something that most people are uncomfortable with, even something as small as a change in a hairstyle can become a big deal. It going to be interesting to see what will happen if there is a change in color of the next president or a drastic change in policies.

It’s refreshing and promising to hear that someone is trying to lead the country in a new direction, but it frightens me to think of what will become of the person hoping to implement so many changes in such a short amount of time. It takes me back to other men (Martin Luther King, JFK, Lincoln, RFK) who tried to make changes and were assassinated because of their desire to make things different, not necessarily better, but different. (Depending on who you are, you and you alone will know if the change was for the better.) Well what do you think? Is America ready for Obama, and what about you? Are you ready for Obama to be the next president of the Unites States? Be honest and share your thoughts and videos on the message board.

By: Simon Jones

On June 3rd, 2008 Illinois Senator Barack Obama claimed the Democratic presidential nominee, and with this honor Obama become the first black candidate ever nominated by a major political party for the nation’s highest office. While breaking this barrier, the question must be asked, is America ready for Obama? Besides the change in policies that Obama represents, his nomination will bring a change in America racially. Is America ready for a black president? Is it conceivable to think that a place where blacks were once enslaved could rise above racial disrimination and elect a black man for president?

Will white Americans and even some black Americans really vote for a black president to hold the nations highest position? Or, will he fall victim to the the politically correct population? The people who will smile in your face and say that they will/would vote for a black man because they don’t want to be viewed as a racist (or feel that is the right thing to say especially if you are black) but behind close doors know that they will not vote for Obama? The polls are saying that older whites, and non-college educated whites will not vote for Obama; and that Obama’s supporters are comprised of black Americans and young white college educated Americans who probably won’t go out and actually cast a vote.

There are some older white blue collar democrats that supported and voted for Hillary Clinton who have stated they are staunch democrats, always vote for a Democrat but would never vote for Obama. I am specifically pointing out this group of people due to all the coverage this demographic received while the West Virginia primaries occurred.

There probably are white collar black and white voters who also feel this way but I am just going to point out what was shown on EVERY single news outlet during the voting. Many white Hillary supporters stated they are willing to sacrifice their political beliefs because they can’t bear the thought of having a black man as president regardless if they agree with his views or not. Some even said they didn’t think Obama was an American and that he was a Muslim. Now I know the media didn’t show everyone they interviewed, like the people who said they would consider Obama and not make a quick judgment and not vote for him, but as usual the media likes to stir things up by showing footage that would get a rise out of their viewers and get under people’s skin. That’s what they do. You have to be smart enough to decipher what is fact and what is fiction. Just because it’s on the news doesn’t mean it true.

Just like with the polls. One minute Obama is blowing McCain out of the water then a few hours later or a channel change they are saying they are neck and neck, or McCain is ahead. The media is saying to you if you don’t like these numbers you better make sure you get out and vote if you want your candidate to win. Don’t feel comfortable if your candidate is ahead in these polls, the numbers we are hearing now don’t matter, what matters is the final number on election day. So regardless of who you like you must get out and vote because EVERY vote DOES count!

I wonder if America is truly ready for Obama (or any other black candidate) because some news outlets, and on some specific news stations, the media is making the 2008 election a race issue. They constantly want to break everything up into black Americans feel this way, white Americans feel that way, Hispanic Americans feel that way, etc. Why isn’t it Americans feel this way. Regardless of one’s race, deep down we all want the same basic necessities; health care, education for our children, stable economy, affordable housing, a government we can believe and trust in, etc. These hopes are not defined by ones color so the media should not use race when speaking of Obama. He is not only a black man (actually he is part white too), his race is a small part of who he is. It’s ironic that they always use black when describing him, when he wasn’t even raised by black people and his mother was white. I would think he would relate more to whites because that is who raised him and who he grew up with. But, this takes us back to the one drop rule, if you have one drop of black blood you are black. The media shouldn’t always bring up Obama’s race. Discuss his issues and not his color, or absentee father.

They never say older Americans feel this way, or veterans feel this way when speaking of McCain. Speaking of that why is it they always bring up McCain being a POW? Is (or isn’t he) more than that? The issues should be what this election is all about. On some stations anchors are still harboring on the issue of Rev. Wright. This can be seen on The View, whenever the topic of Obama and his issues comes up Elisabeth Hasselbeck always reverts back to Obamas association to the Reverend. Lets move forward and decide if we want to vote for Obama based on his views, and voting history and what he will bring to the oval office.

Now if you don’t want to vote for Obama because you don’t agree with his message and desire of change, or you feel he doesn’t have enough experience, that is fine; but to not vote for him because of the color of his skin, takes us back to a problem that unfortunately in America won’t go away - the issue of race. In the United States, race and racism is something we can’t escape from. Why, I don’t know. Maybe if Obama is elected President the lines of communication will open and racism will take a bold step into being non-existent. (I doubt it, but anything is possible-look there IS a black man who has a good chance of being the president, so never say never.)

Other nations see the idea of the United States having a black president as something positive but here in the United States that idea is unthinkable to many. Some members of the KKK and other hate groups have stated that their membership is on the rise due to the thought of having a black man as the president of the United States. Race to many is more important than the issues, and speaking of issues what does Obama really stand for?

Do you believe the hype? Will he really be able to make a change that his entire platform consist of? Personally, I feel that regardless of who is elected President there is only so much that can REALISTICALLY be done. The President can hope for things to change and try to make changes, but without support from Congress not much can really happen. Change is something that most people are uncomfortable with, even something as small as a change in a hairstyle can become a big deal. It going to be interesting to see what will happen if there is a change in color of the next president or a drastic change in policies.

It’s refreshing and promising to hear that someone is trying to lead the country in a new direction, but it frightens me to think of what will become of the person hoping to implement so many changes in such a short amount of time. It takes me back to other men (Martin Luther King, JFK, Lincoln, RFK) who tried to make changes and were assassinated because of their desire to make things different, not necessarily better, but different. (Depending on who you are, you and you alone will know if the change was for the better.) Well what do you think? Is America ready for Obama, and what about you? Are you ready for Obama to be the next president of the Unites States? Be honest and share your thoughts and videos on the message board.

By: Simon Jones

  The Other Black President | The American Prospect

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