According to www.patriotism.org, "Washington's Birthday is the official name designated to what many of us know as President's Day. During the month of February the birthday of two of our greatest President's takes place. Both George Washington who was born on Feb. 22nd and Abraham Lincoln born on Feb. 12th.
However, Washington's birthday has been publicly celebrated since he was in office, before Abraham Lincoln was even born. Much of the debate over the name of the holiday springs from the fact that state's can follow their own holidays how they see fit and many of them chose to also honor Lincoln, calling the celebration President's Day.
It was in 1968 that the term President's Day came up for legal consideration in the Congress but was shot down, though the holiday was moved to fall between the two President's birthdays. Again in the 1980's there was a resurgence of the term with advertisers which solidfied the holiday name in American culture. Today, few Americans perfer to call the holiday Washington's Birthday in lieu of President's Day."
George Washington was born on February 22, 1732. When he was born, America was not a nation yet. It belonged to England, a country across the ocean. People in America didn't want to belong to England so they fought to become a separate country. George Washington was an American general in the war. America won the war and picked a new name for itself: The United States of America. George Washington was elected to be its first President. -- www.alphabet-soup.net
There are multiple sites that you can find for crafts and activities to do with your children during this holiday by simply doing a search on "President's Day". Take this opportunity to educate your children on each President of the United States of America and their contribution to our country. It's great to have the time with your child or children, so take advantage of the resources available and turn it into a learning/teaching experience. You may be surprised at what you will learn by their side.
Showing posts with label Presidents of the United States of America. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Presidents of the United States of America. Show all posts
Monday, February 16, 2009
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Take Care of the Government
"Freedom exists only where the people take care of the government." -- Woodrow Wilson
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
All Men Created Equal.
The Declaration of Independence, 1776 --
"We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their CREATOR, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. -- That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate, that Governments long established, should not be changed for light and transient Causes; and accordingly all Experience hath shewn, that Mankind are more disposed to suffer, while Evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the Forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long Train of Abuses and Usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a Design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their Right, it is their Duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future Security. Such has been the patient Sufferance of our Colonies; and such is now the Necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The History of the present King of Great-Britain is a History of repeated Injuries and Usurpations, all having in direct Object the Establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid World."
"We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their CREATOR, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. -- That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate, that Governments long established, should not be changed for light and transient Causes; and accordingly all Experience hath shewn, that Mankind are more disposed to suffer, while Evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the Forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long Train of Abuses and Usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a Design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their Right, it is their Duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future Security. Such has been the patient Sufferance of our Colonies; and such is now the Necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The History of the present King of Great-Britain is a History of repeated Injuries and Usurpations, all having in direct Object the Establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid World."
Monday, November 10, 2008
Blessed Nation!
"My God! How little do my countrymen know what precious blessings they are in possession of, and which no other people on earth enjoy! -- Thomas Jefferson
Monday, February 18, 2008
Presidential Facts. Fun and Interesting.
Here are some fun and interesting presidential facts for this President's Day.
George Washington
1st President
Popular legend says that he had false teeth made of wood. Untrue. However, he did try different pairs made from ivory, silver, and even cow teeth. Mmmm, yummy to chew with cows teeth...yuck!...gotta go brush now!
John Adams
2nd President
"Adams died on the 50th anniversary of the approval of the Declaration of Independence (July 4) -- the same exact day as Thomas Jefferson, the only other signer of the Declaration to become President." Coincidence?
Thomas Jefferson
3rd President
Organized the Lewis and Clark expedition. Meriwether Lewis was Thomas Jefferson's personal secretary. Sending his secretary to do his bidding.
James Madison
4th President
The smallest President in history at 5 feet 4 inches tall and only 100 pounds. Little man.
James Monroe
5th President
The last President to die on the Fourth of July, following Jefferson and Adams by 5 years. Coincidence?
One-Stop Resume Posting to Over 75 Career Sites. Click Here
John Quincy Adams
6th President
"John Quincy Adams often favored swimming nude in the Potomac River. Once, after his clothes were stolen, he had to ask a passerby to retrieve new clothes for him from the White House." His mother must have been proud!
Andrew Jackson
7th President
"Jackson was the target of a failed assassination: He beat the gunman with his cane in the Capitol rotunda after neither of the man's weapons fired properly." Awesome!
Martin Van Buren
8th President
"...born in Kinderhook, New York, and later became known as "Old Kinderhook." In 1840, Democrats formed the "O.K. Club", named after Van Buren's nickname. The term "OK" eventually came to mean "all right"." I always thought that it was "okay".
William Henry Harrison
9th President
The oldest President to ever take office until Ronald Reagan gave the longest inaugural address at 1 hour and 40 minutes long, held the shortest term in office because he died of pneumonia one month later. I guess, based on his inaugural address, he wanted to make the most of his Presidency.
John Tyler
10th President
Nickname: His Accidency, had more children than any other President in history: 15 children by two wives. Was his nickname because of the 15 "oops" children?
James K. Polk
11th President
Pursued the Manifest Destiny, increasing the size of the nation by two-thirds. Imagination is not such a bad thing!
Zachary Taylor
12th President
"Taylor had very short legs. He often needed help mounting a horse, and liked to ride sidesaddle." I wonder if he had to use a stool during his inauguration address.
Millard Fillmore
13th President
Saw his first U.S. map at age 19. He had a lot of catching up to do before becoming President!
Franklin Pierce
14th President
"Franklin Pierce is the great-great-great-uncle of former First Lady Barbara Bush." Interesting...a Democrat!
James Buchanan
15th President
"...always insisted on adhering to the law. His nickname "Ten-Cent Jimmy" recalls his insistence on precise bookkeeping." Too bad he can't be resurrected!
Abraham Lincoln
16th President
The tallest President at 6 feet and 4 inches tall. I'm sure this helped him during his speeches!
Andrew Johnson
17th President
"...once opened a tailor's shop, and continued to make his own clothes even after being elected to public office." Way to make use of your public office time!
Ulysses S. Grant
18th President
"...was once stopped for speeding in his horse-drawn carriage, and had to walk back to the White House after the officer confiscated his vehicle." I had no idea there were speed-limits for horse-drawn carriages!
Rutherford B. Hayes
19th President
"While Hayes was President, Alexander Graham Bell personally installed the first White House telephone, and Thomas Edison visited to demonstrate his new phonograph." Did they have anyone else that had a phone that they could call?
James Garfield
20th President
The first President to be able to write left-handed. "...in fact he was ambidextrous, which means he was able to write with either hand." Gifted! Could he think with both sides of his brain as well?
Chester Arthur
21st President
Known for changing his clothes for each occasion of the day, it was rumored that he owned 80 pairs of pants. Did the tax-payers pay for all of those pants?
Grover Cleveland
22nd and 24th President
"Grover's daughter Ruth was nicknamed "Baby Ruth", and eventually had a candy bar named after her." Yummy!
Benjamin Harrison
23rd President
His grandfather was William Henry Harrison, the 9th President of the U.S. and they are the only grandfather-grandson pair of Presidents. Runs in the family.
William McKinley
25th President
The only President between Andrew Johnson and Woodrow Wilson not to have facial hair. Finally, a man who doesn't have to prove it through facial hair!
Theodore Roosevelt
26th President
He had the "teddy bear" named for him after sparing the life of a bear cub during a hunting trip. Awh, how sweet!
William Howard Taft
27th President
He got stuck in the standard-size tub in the White House, so he had an oversize tub installed. He once fell asleep during his own parade. The invention of the Garden Tub?
Woodrow Wilson
28th President
"In support for a nationwide rationing program during the war, the Wilsons let sheep roam the White House lawn for a natural "mow" to save gas and labor." I guess that included free fertlizer...including the labor.
Warren G. Harding
29th President
The election in which he won by a landslide was the first election in which women were allowed to vote nationwide. You were the man!
Calvin Coolidge
30th President
As a child, his favorite chore was making maple syrup. Pretty Cool.
Herbert Hoover
31st President
"Although Hoover refused to be paid for his public service, he became a multimillionaire during his earlier years as a geologist." Didn't clean-up the economy though.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
32nd President
"Franklin Roosevelt married his distant cousin, Eleanor Roosevelt. At their wedding, she was given away by her uncle, Theodore Roosevelt." OK?
Harry S. Truman
33rd President
"The S in Harry S. Truman doesn't stand for a middle name. It's actually a letter chosen by his parents to honor both of their fathers, whose names started with an S." What were their father's names?
Dwight D. Eisenhower
34th President
The presidential retreat in Maryland, originally named Shangri-La, was changed to Camp David. The Eisenhowers changed the name in honor of their grandson. Changed from Shangri-La?
John F. Kennedy
35th President
"Kennedy's funeral was modeled after that of Abraham Lincoln." Assassination=conspiracy believer's heaven.
Lyndon B. Johnson
36th President
"President and First Lady Johnson, the Johnson daughters, their Texas ranch, and even their family dog bore names that yielded the initials L.B.J." Easy to put the initials on the linens.
Richard M. Nixon
37th President
Nicknamed "Tricky Dick" because of the dirty tricks he used like illegal campaign funding and character attacks on opponents to get elected, etc. His nickname says it all.
Gerald Ford
38th President
Had offers to play professional football but chose to attend law school instead. What team would he have played on? Who would have become President if he had gone a different direction?
Jimmy Carter
39th President
Nicknamed "Jimmy Cardigan" after wearing a sweater instead of a suit during a televised address. Nuts, huh?
Ronald Reagan
40th President
"Before his political career, Reagan was best known as an actor. He moved to Hollywood in 1937, and made 53 movies in the three decades that followed." Remember "Reaganomics"?
George Bush
41st President
"During the Persian Gulf War in the early 1990s, the U.S. led an international effort to liberate Kuwait, a small, oil rich country in the Middle East, from its neighbor Iraq, ruled by Saddam Hussein." Sound familiar?
William Jefferson Clinton
42nd President
1998-scandal..."Kenneth Star accused Clinton of breaking the law while he tried to conceal a romantic relationship he had with a White House intern." Remember the other issues with the law and the impeachment? Now...think...his wife is trying to enter the White House with him as first lady.
George W. Bush
43rd President
"Before he was elected governor of Texas, Bush became an owner and manager of the Texas Rangers baseball team." What else will there be to this history? Too much to write here.
What will the next President leave us with? It's up to us to decide. Look back at history and decide what you want for your future leader.
Source:
National Geographic: U.S. Presidents Flash Facts
George Washington
1st President
Popular legend says that he had false teeth made of wood. Untrue. However, he did try different pairs made from ivory, silver, and even cow teeth. Mmmm, yummy to chew with cows teeth...yuck!...gotta go brush now!
John Adams
2nd President
"Adams died on the 50th anniversary of the approval of the Declaration of Independence (July 4) -- the same exact day as Thomas Jefferson, the only other signer of the Declaration to become President." Coincidence?
Thomas Jefferson
3rd President
Organized the Lewis and Clark expedition. Meriwether Lewis was Thomas Jefferson's personal secretary. Sending his secretary to do his bidding.
James Madison
4th President
The smallest President in history at 5 feet 4 inches tall and only 100 pounds. Little man.
James Monroe
5th President
The last President to die on the Fourth of July, following Jefferson and Adams by 5 years. Coincidence?
One-Stop Resume Posting to Over 75 Career Sites. Click Here
John Quincy Adams
6th President
"John Quincy Adams often favored swimming nude in the Potomac River. Once, after his clothes were stolen, he had to ask a passerby to retrieve new clothes for him from the White House." His mother must have been proud!
Andrew Jackson
7th President
"Jackson was the target of a failed assassination: He beat the gunman with his cane in the Capitol rotunda after neither of the man's weapons fired properly." Awesome!
Martin Van Buren
8th President
"...born in Kinderhook, New York, and later became known as "Old Kinderhook." In 1840, Democrats formed the "O.K. Club", named after Van Buren's nickname. The term "OK" eventually came to mean "all right"." I always thought that it was "okay".
William Henry Harrison
9th President
The oldest President to ever take office until Ronald Reagan gave the longest inaugural address at 1 hour and 40 minutes long, held the shortest term in office because he died of pneumonia one month later. I guess, based on his inaugural address, he wanted to make the most of his Presidency.
John Tyler
10th President
Nickname: His Accidency, had more children than any other President in history: 15 children by two wives. Was his nickname because of the 15 "oops" children?
James K. Polk
11th President
Pursued the Manifest Destiny, increasing the size of the nation by two-thirds. Imagination is not such a bad thing!
Zachary Taylor
12th President
"Taylor had very short legs. He often needed help mounting a horse, and liked to ride sidesaddle." I wonder if he had to use a stool during his inauguration address.
Millard Fillmore
13th President
Saw his first U.S. map at age 19. He had a lot of catching up to do before becoming President!
Franklin Pierce
14th President
"Franklin Pierce is the great-great-great-uncle of former First Lady Barbara Bush." Interesting...a Democrat!
James Buchanan
15th President
"...always insisted on adhering to the law. His nickname "Ten-Cent Jimmy" recalls his insistence on precise bookkeeping." Too bad he can't be resurrected!
Abraham Lincoln
16th President
The tallest President at 6 feet and 4 inches tall. I'm sure this helped him during his speeches!
Andrew Johnson
17th President
"...once opened a tailor's shop, and continued to make his own clothes even after being elected to public office." Way to make use of your public office time!
Ulysses S. Grant
18th President
"...was once stopped for speeding in his horse-drawn carriage, and had to walk back to the White House after the officer confiscated his vehicle." I had no idea there were speed-limits for horse-drawn carriages!
Rutherford B. Hayes
19th President
"While Hayes was President, Alexander Graham Bell personally installed the first White House telephone, and Thomas Edison visited to demonstrate his new phonograph." Did they have anyone else that had a phone that they could call?
James Garfield
20th President
The first President to be able to write left-handed. "...in fact he was ambidextrous, which means he was able to write with either hand." Gifted! Could he think with both sides of his brain as well?
Chester Arthur
21st President
Known for changing his clothes for each occasion of the day, it was rumored that he owned 80 pairs of pants. Did the tax-payers pay for all of those pants?
Grover Cleveland
22nd and 24th President
"Grover's daughter Ruth was nicknamed "Baby Ruth", and eventually had a candy bar named after her." Yummy!
Benjamin Harrison
23rd President
His grandfather was William Henry Harrison, the 9th President of the U.S. and they are the only grandfather-grandson pair of Presidents. Runs in the family.
William McKinley
25th President
The only President between Andrew Johnson and Woodrow Wilson not to have facial hair. Finally, a man who doesn't have to prove it through facial hair!
Theodore Roosevelt
26th President
He had the "teddy bear" named for him after sparing the life of a bear cub during a hunting trip. Awh, how sweet!
William Howard Taft
27th President
He got stuck in the standard-size tub in the White House, so he had an oversize tub installed. He once fell asleep during his own parade. The invention of the Garden Tub?
Woodrow Wilson
28th President
"In support for a nationwide rationing program during the war, the Wilsons let sheep roam the White House lawn for a natural "mow" to save gas and labor." I guess that included free fertlizer...including the labor.
Warren G. Harding
29th President
The election in which he won by a landslide was the first election in which women were allowed to vote nationwide. You were the man!
Calvin Coolidge
30th President
As a child, his favorite chore was making maple syrup. Pretty Cool.
Herbert Hoover
31st President
"Although Hoover refused to be paid for his public service, he became a multimillionaire during his earlier years as a geologist." Didn't clean-up the economy though.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
32nd President
"Franklin Roosevelt married his distant cousin, Eleanor Roosevelt. At their wedding, she was given away by her uncle, Theodore Roosevelt." OK?
Harry S. Truman
33rd President
"The S in Harry S. Truman doesn't stand for a middle name. It's actually a letter chosen by his parents to honor both of their fathers, whose names started with an S." What were their father's names?
Dwight D. Eisenhower
34th President
The presidential retreat in Maryland, originally named Shangri-La, was changed to Camp David. The Eisenhowers changed the name in honor of their grandson. Changed from Shangri-La?
John F. Kennedy
35th President
"Kennedy's funeral was modeled after that of Abraham Lincoln." Assassination=conspiracy believer's heaven.
Lyndon B. Johnson
36th President
"President and First Lady Johnson, the Johnson daughters, their Texas ranch, and even their family dog bore names that yielded the initials L.B.J." Easy to put the initials on the linens.
Richard M. Nixon
37th President
Nicknamed "Tricky Dick" because of the dirty tricks he used like illegal campaign funding and character attacks on opponents to get elected, etc. His nickname says it all.
Gerald Ford
38th President
Had offers to play professional football but chose to attend law school instead. What team would he have played on? Who would have become President if he had gone a different direction?
Jimmy Carter
39th President
Nicknamed "Jimmy Cardigan" after wearing a sweater instead of a suit during a televised address. Nuts, huh?
Ronald Reagan
40th President
"Before his political career, Reagan was best known as an actor. He moved to Hollywood in 1937, and made 53 movies in the three decades that followed." Remember "Reaganomics"?
George Bush
41st President
"During the Persian Gulf War in the early 1990s, the U.S. led an international effort to liberate Kuwait, a small, oil rich country in the Middle East, from its neighbor Iraq, ruled by Saddam Hussein." Sound familiar?
William Jefferson Clinton
42nd President
1998-scandal..."Kenneth Star accused Clinton of breaking the law while he tried to conceal a romantic relationship he had with a White House intern." Remember the other issues with the law and the impeachment? Now...think...his wife is trying to enter the White House with him as first lady.
George W. Bush
43rd President
"Before he was elected governor of Texas, Bush became an owner and manager of the Texas Rangers baseball team." What else will there be to this history? Too much to write here.
What will the next President leave us with? It's up to us to decide. Look back at history and decide what you want for your future leader.
Source:
National Geographic: U.S. Presidents Flash Facts
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