Today, February 19th, 2024, marks President’s Day, a federal holiday in which millions of Americans enjoy time off from work. Most people don’t know that President’s Day began all the way back in 1789. The holiday started as a celebration of George Washington’s birthday. Washington, of course, was the first President of the United States of America. Up until 1968, President’s Day, then known as a celebration of Washington’s birthday, was celebrated on February 22nd.
On June 28th, 1968, Congress passed the “Uniform Monday Holiday Act,” removing Washington specifically from the nomenclature, and marking the day ‘President’s Day’ forevermore, to be celebrated on the third Monday of every February. In celebration of President’ Day, we wanted to take the time at ArtVoice to recognize the accomplishments of some of America’s greatest Presidents.
This list will not be political in nature, nor will it focus on the political aspects of any given Presidency, but solely recognize the contributions that each man on our list made to the American experience during his time in the Oval Office. Being that this holiday is only recognized because of our first President, it’s safe to say that Washington is a great President to start our list off with.
George Washington, 1st U.S. President (1789-1797)
As the historians say, George Washington could have been King if he wished. Washington, possibly most importantly, set the precedent that a President would only serve two four year terms before leaving Office. The 22nd Amendment, which Constitutionally binds the President to two terms in Office was only passed after Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the first President to break the two term tradition, left Office. The 22nd Amendment was ratified in 1951, meaning that the two term precedent set by Washington in 1797 lasted as a true, unlegislated tradition until 1940.
Presidential Cabinet Selection
Without George Washington, there would be no Presidential cabinets. Washington started the process of selecting cabinet officials as his advisors. One of his selections, Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, who authored the Declaration of Independence, would go on to become one of the most successful and prolific Presidents in American history. The precedent set by Washington in the selection of cabinet officials is still used to this very day.
Religious Freedom
In addition to forming the process by which a President selects his cabinet officials, Washington was also perhaps the most vocal supporter of religious freedom that has ever occupied the highest office in the land. Washington made frequent statements in support of religious freedom for all religions, including Judaism and many sects of Christianity. At this time, warring factions of Christianity had been an issue, particularly in Europe. Washington was of the firm, stated belief, that it was an ‘enlightened’ and ‘liberal’ policy of religious freedom that would quell religious disputes, so that these disputes would never disrupt the peace of Society.
Designing Washington D.C.
In 1790, Washington took full control of the designing of the new American capitol being constructed, Washington D.C. This occurred after Congress passed the ‘Residence Act’ in July of 1790, which stated that the Capitol of America would be located on the Potomac River, which lies between Maryland and Virginia. The river, at the time, was extremely important for trade. Washington was enamored with the project until his death in 1799, just two years after he departed his position as President of the United States.
There is no question that George Washington is one of, if not the most influential Presidents in the history of the United States of America. He legacy lasts to this day, and is forever emblazened in the name of our Capitol, Washington D.C.
Thomas Jefferson, 3rd U.S. President (1801-1809)
When it comes to forming the America we know today, there is possibly no person more influential than the third President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson. In addition to purchasing a majority of the land that makes up the contiguous United States today, Jefferson also contributed to the founding of our Nation prior to his Presidency, being the author of the Declaration of Independence, and being among the first to ban the import of slaves into America while serving in the Virginia House of Burgesses.
Louisiana Purchase
In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson made a deal with the Nation of France to purchase more than 530,000,000 acres of land to the West of what America was at the time. Before the Louisiana Purchase, America’s most Western territory was Illinois, as France and Mexico owned the territory that makes up the entire Western United States today.
Jefferson paid just $15,000,000 for this astounding amount of land, marking one of the greatest deals ever made in the history of the Presidency. Even today, calculated for inflation, the price of the Louisiana Purchase would be just $340 Million, making the total price of the land just $0.64 per acre. For reference, the average price of an acre of land in the United States today is $17,500.
The Louisiana Purchase stretched from Iowa to the Western edge of Montana, setting the stage for the United States to push to Pacific Ocean in the coming decades. Jefferson’s Louisiana Purchase is not only the best move that Jefferson ever made, but perhaps the most influential and decisive move ever made by a President.
Eliminating Whiskey Tax
One of George Washington’s lone mistakes as President was listening to Alexander Hamilton, and implementing a tax on Whiskey. This tax, rightfully so, caused an uproar amongst the American populace, which had just fought valiantly for their freedom from taxation and the British crown in the American Revolutionary war.
President Jefferson ended this tax in 1802, causing his popularity to soar, and giving another reason for the American people to re-elect him to office in 1804.
Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th U.S. President, (1953-1961)
After serving as the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe during the Second World War, Dwight Eisenhower ran for President in 1952. During his Presidency, he would oversee a period of growth that few Presidents have ever achieved.
Creation of Interstate Highway System
Eisenhower directed the creation of the United States interstate highway system in 1956, connecting the contiguous United States, and giving Americans an ability to travel across this Country. This is system is still used to this day.
Civil Rights Champion
Eisenhower was committed to combating segregation, and did so most notably by deploying the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock, Arkansas in order to guard black children who were attending a traditionally white school. This group of children is famously known as the ‘Little Rock Nine.’
Eisenhower also ordered the desegregation of the entire U.S. Military during his Presidency, paving the way for the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. While Lyndon Baynes Johnson and John F. Kennedy maintain all of the credit for the Civil Rights Movement, it was actually President Eisenhower was the man who actually set the wheel in motion.
We hope that you enjoyed these rankings, as we wished to celebrate some of the greatest leaders in American history during President’s Day. Be sure to stay tuned to Artvoice for our latest content!
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