I'm sorry that our country isn't respectful enough of your great achievements that we didn't give you your own holiday.
Happy birthday Mr. President:
I'm sorry that our country isn't respectful enough of your great achievements that we couldn't give you your own holiday.
They both previously had their own days, and it was actually their days that were combined into the creation of presidents day. Lincolns birthday to this day in some states is still practiced and recognized on his actual birthdate.
Washington's Birthday was celebrated on February 22nd until well into the 20th Century. However, in 1968 Congress passed the Monday Holiday Law to "provide uniform annual observances of certain legal public holidays on Mondays." By creating more 3-day weekends, Congress hoped to "bring substantial benefits to both the spiritual and economic life of the Nation."
One of the provisions of this act changed the observance of Washington's Birthday from February 22nd to the third Monday in February. Ironically, this guaranteed that the holiday would never be celebrated on Washington's actual birthday, as the third Monday in February cannot fall any later than February 21.
Contrary to popular belief, neither Congress nor the President has ever stipulated that the name of the holiday observed as Washington's Birthday be changed to "President's Day."
Lincoln's Birthday is a legal holiday in some U.S. states, including Arizona, California,[1] Connecticut,[2] Illinois,[3] Indiana,[4] Missouri, New Jersey, and New York. It is observed on the anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth on February 12, 1809.
In other states, a celebration of Lincoln's birthday is combined with a celebration of Washington's Birthday or as part of Presidents' Day. These celebrations occur on the same day as the Federal holiday, the third Monday of February, and not on Washington's or Lincoln's actual birthday.