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Hawaii State Holidays
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 President's Day is celebrated in Hawaii and in all the other states of the union on the third Monday in February. It honors two of the greatest American presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Their birthdays used to be celebrated separately (Lincoln on Feb 12 and Washington on Feb 22). Since both birthdays fall in February, a joint holiday to honor both men was proposed. 
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, guided his country through the most devastating experience in its national history - the Civil War. He is considered by many historians to have been the greatest American president. His leadership of the country and the victories of the Union army managed to keep the nation united at a very perilous time. Lincoln's achievements - saving the Union and freeing the slaves and his martyrdom just at the war's end assured his continuing fame. No small contribution was made by his eloquence as exemplified in the Gettysburg Address (Nov. 19, 1863), in which he defined the war as a rededication to the egalitarian ideals of the Declaration of Independence, and in his second inaugural address (Mar. 4, 1865), in which he urged "malice toward none" and "charity for all" in the peace to come. Lincoln was assassinated just a few days before the Civil War ended. He was shot on April 14, 1865, while he and his wife were watching a performance at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C. 
George Washington was commander in chief of the of the colonial forces in the American Revolution. After the United States won the Revolutionary War against England, Washington was unanimously chosen the first president of the United States of America. On April 30, 1789, he delivered his inaugural address in New York City. Washington served his country with honor, pride, and dignity. He brought respect to the office of the President, serving as a role model for later presidents. After leaving office, Washington returned to his family home, Mount Vernon, in Virginia. Just over three years later, on December 14, 1799, George Washington died at home of a cold he had caught two days earlier. He was buried in a tomb at Mount Vernon, his estate in the Virginia countryside near Washington, D.C. Although Lincoln and Washington had two very different personalities, their dreams and beliefs were similar. They both believed strongly in the union of the country. |
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