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President’s day is one of my favorite holidays, because my Grandchildren are always off of school, and my Children are almost always working.  That leads to some quality one-on-one time with all of the kids.

No matter what your family’s political affiliation is: red, blue, or some shade of purple, President’s Day is a great chance to pass along a little bit of American History, as it is dedicated to two of the arguably most controversial Presidents in history, who are now the top one and two ranked best President’s the United States ever had: George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Even though at the time they were mired in political firestorms, there are so many great things these two men accomplished to form and unite America, that there is plenty to talk about, plus some fantastic legends about their childhood to share.

George Washington was the first President of the United States, from 1789-1797.  He was not elected in the manner we now know of as voting, in fact Congress at that time, made up of a collection of military and thought leaders from around the United States, unanimously consented to grant him the role of President.  He was especially respected because although his command of the military during the American Revolution made it possible for him to take over the U.S. if he had wanted to, he chose to step down, thus allowing Congress the choice of a leader. His goals as a president were to improve infrastructure, found the dollar, encourage trade, open up the west, preserve freedom, and promote a spirit of American National Pride.

The most common legend told about George Washington is that of the Cherry Tree: As a child, George Washington chopped down a Cherry Tree that was growing on his family farm.  His father was angry upon finding the fallen tree, and questioned Little Washington, who famously admitted to the dirty deed by saying “I cannot tell a lie, Pa”. This may or may not be true, as it has not been able to be verified, but used as a short lesson in honesty and integrity form a man who grew up to be President, I don’t think there is too much harm in continuing the tradition of telling.

Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth President of the United States.  He is remembered as the President responsible for leading the United Sates through the Civil War, and for ending slavery with the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution.  He did not come from a wealthy family, or have a privileged background.  He was mostly self-educated and apprenticed as a lawyer before he became an Illinois State Legislator and then later a member of the House of Representatives.  His election to the Presidency was primarily because he was able to secure the Republican nomination for his stance on abolishing slavery, his successful second term election was largely due to his ability to maintain the Union war front against the Confederacy and his political dedication to Nationalism, equal rights, freedom, and democracy, which he negotiated through war actions as well as political negotiations.  He was sadly the first American President to be assassinated, only six days after the official end of the Civil War.

The most famous stories about Abraham Lincoln during his childhood center on perseverance.  He was born in a log cabin to a very poor family, and his family was by circumstance forced to hunt and squat on land that did not belong to them until his father could establish himself as a farmer.  His mother died when he was only nine years old, so it was his step-mother (who did not read herself) who encouraged him to learn to read.  His only formal education was 18 months long.  He was said to walk miles through the Indiana Wilderness just to borrow a book.  One of his favorite books was Aesop’s Fables.

Related articles

• Celebrating Presidents’ Day (lets-explore.net)