Why did they have to squish Washington’s and Lincoln’s birthdays together? I do not support celebrating all of our presidents; we’ve had some really awful ones. A few that come to mind are James Buchanan, who provided extremely poor leadership just prior to the Civil War, and Andrew Johnson, who not only mis-managed Reconstruction but actually took away the hard-won civil rights from newly-freed enslaved people. The millions of lives lost in the Civil War were for naught because of this man. The ensuing misery and civil disruption caused by the system of Jim Crow segregation that was allowed to exist from the 1860’s through the 1960’s would not have happened had Lincoln not been murdered and replaced by Johnson and his racist policies.
There are many other presidents who did not take their job seriously; people who accomplished little, not because they were blocked by the opposing party, but because they regarded their role as their destiny. Others spent their term embroiled in scandals. Richard Nixon, deserves credit for creating the Environmental Protection Agency, The Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, as well as improving the US’s relationships with China and the Soviet Union. But his determination to win the war in Vietnam, hardened him against the public, the press and those who opposed him. Nixon resorting to criminal activity that eventually unseated him. Like Johnson and Buchanan, Nixon’s stubbornness cost the lives of nearly a third of those who fought in the Vietnam war.
We should be celebrating George Washington for one specific reason: he resigned his military commission at the war’s end and became the country’s first President. Like all men, Washington made mistakes; big mistakes. He attacked a party of allies during the French and Indian War, mistakenly signed a document admitting to the assignation of a French officer, and lost most of the battles he fought. His fortune was come by through marriage and maintained by the system of slavery. He had a temper that would put George Patton to shame and it was said he could out-swear most of his men and could drink them all under the table. So what?
The Presidency should never be a personality contest. The President of America is the head of both state and government, and Commander in Chief of the armed forces. He/she must execute and enforce the laws made by Congress. The person holding this office represents the Face of America to the world. Because America has always been a country populated by immigrants from everywhere, it must contend with different cultures, religions, languages and belief systems, all striving to be dominant. The person holding the office of the President must first and foremost be able to understand and uphold the Constitution and respect the delicate balance of Executive, Judicial and Legislative branches. Our founders knew the importance of keeping these three separate to avoid any one gaining too much power. Like a three-legged stool, it will tip over if one of the legs is longer than the others.
Let us not celebrate Presidents just because they managed to get elected. Establishing President’s Day as a national holiday is just like having a national holiday for artists, bus drivers, undertakers, etc; nice, but not necessary. National holidays should celebrate exceptional individuals; not just those who show up for work. Let’s go back to celebrating George Washington’s birthday because he worked hard during his term, and sacrificed his personal life for his country. Most importantly, when his term was over, George Washington relinquished power, establishing the precedent of the peaceful transfer of power.