At present, the United States has 11 federal holidays, accumulated over the course of two and a half centuries. Some of the current dates make sense; others don’t. As a whole, these national holidays create complexities for Americans’ school, work, and vacation calendars. We should rearrange this lineup.
Three principles guide this endeavor. First, it must be bipartisan. For better or worse, some holidays have become more associated with the Left and others with the Right. Reform will require give and take from both sides.
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Second, the holidays should make it easier to establish regular schedules in schools and workplaces. One holiday in close proximity to another disrupts continuity.
Third, under the current calendar, several months have no holidays while other months have several. As any school child will tell you, it’s not fair that six holidays are crammed together in the cold months, while only one holiday is in spring. As any school administrator will confide, Labor Day and MLK Day both make scheduling classes difficult. The holidays should be spaced out more evenly.
A few adjustments could create a calendar that garners bipartisan support, simplifies scheduling, and spaces out time for reflection and relaxation.
Let’s place four holidays in the untouchable category: New Year’s Day on January 1, Independence Day on July 4, Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in November, and Christmas on December 25. These holidays are deeply rooted in history and tradition.
As such, moving them would be unthinkable. In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving up a week to expand the Christmas shopping window. By 1942, in the face of serious backlash, he returned the holiday to its traditional date. Leave the core four where they are.
Memorial Day can also stay where it is on the last Monday in May, though the argument for doing so is less compelling. The holiday’s date is not tied to any particular battle, and a case could be made for pushing it forward a week in honor of D-Day—June 6, 1944. But the holiday currently serves as the starting point for the summer season. Most universities finish their spring semesters before this date so that it doesn’t disrupt classes. On balance, then, Memorial Day can remain unchanged.
Veterans Day on November 11, however, should move. At present, it usually falls in the middle of the week, only two weeks before Thanksgiving. Like Memorial Day, it should be celebrated on a Monday so that a patriotic parade can be held over the weekend.
The holiday was originally known as Armistice Day, commemorating the ending of World War I—at the time, America’s greatest victory in warfare. But barely three decades later, America celebrated Victory in Europe on May 8, 1945, followed by Victory in Japan on August 15, 1945. We should select a date that honors veterans of these and all other American wars—but that also promotes scheduling efficiency.
One option is to use Veterans Day to commemorate American victory at the Battle of Yorktown on October 17, 1781, by scheduling it on the third Monday in October. Moving the date from mid-November back two weeks would preserve calendar balance. Keeping it in the fall would also avoid too-close proximity to Memorial Day. We should support the troops year-round.
The current timing of Labor Day is curious. May 1 is celebrated as International Workers’ Day around the world. But in the United States, the comparable holiday falls on the first Monday in September.
Why? In June 1894, President Grover Cleveland sought to propose a national day for workers, but two major labor conflicts had occurred in May: the Pullman Strike of 1894 and the Haymarket Affair riot of 1886. Ultimately, Cleveland chose September, which was already associated with union parades and avoided those problematic anniversaries.
Today, however, there is perhaps less danger in synchronizing our calendar with those of other nations. We could celebrate Labor Day on the first Monday in May. (May 1 also represents Law Day, but this is a niche holiday.) The fifth month would then begin with Labor Day and end with Memorial Day.
With Labor Day’s move to May, we have a natural choice to fill its September spot: Constitution Day, September 17. On that date in 1787, delegates in Philadelphia signed the U.S. Constitution. Ignorance about our governing document is unfortunately widespread. All efforts should be taken to promote constitutional literacy. Congress has already gotten a head start: federal law requires educational institutions to host programming on the Constitution on September 17. I have doubts about the constitutionality of this law—the federal government should have no business in education. Establishing a new national holiday would be a far better way to reflect on our national charter.
The “birthday” holidays should move. MLK Day comes right on the heels of Christmas and New Year’s. Washington’s birthday comes just a month later, followed by a three-month holiday desert until Memorial Day.
To fill this gap, I would propose a double shift of two weeks: move MLK to the first Monday in February and Washington’s Birthday to the first Monday in March. That shift would place holidays, evenly spaced, at the start of January, February, and March.
In the grand scheme of things, it is not necessary to celebrate a person’s birthday on the exact day or even week they were born. Indeed, the first week in March has other significance for presidents, who, until 1937, were sworn in on March 4.
Moving MLK day means a federal holiday honoring King would be added to begin Black History Month, which is celebrated in February to honor two other significant birthdays: Abraham Lincoln on February 12 and Frederick Douglass on or around February 14 (the exact date is unknown). There might be opposition to combining King’s birthday with Black History Month, the shortest month. But this process involves some give-and-take for everyone.
I would leave Juneteenth where it is, on June 19. The very nature of Juneteenth is tied to a particular date. The holiday reflects the important moment of emancipation the nineteenth century, while Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday reflects the fight for civil rights in the twentieth century.
Columbus Day has regrettably become less necessary. I still remember the 500th anniversary of Columbus’s voyage in 1992. As an eight-year-old in New York City, I enjoyed the festivities. Replicas of the Niña, Pinta, and Santa Maria docked in New York Harbor. We felt pride at Columbus’ discovery of the New World.
Thirty-plus years later, however, the Left has succeeded in making Columbus a polarizing figure. Most states don’t celebrate Columbus Day, and based on my survey, virtually no universities cancel classes to honor him. If we want to be bipartisan in our redesign, then Columbus Day is the most logical one to go, especially if it creates space for Constitution Day.
The resultant calendar: New Year’s Day on January 1; Martin Luther King Jr. Day on the first Monday in February; President’s Day on the first Monday in March; Labor Day on the first Monday in May; Memorial Day on the last Monday in May; Juneteenth on June 19; Independence Day on July 4; Constitution Day on September 17; Veterans Day on the third Monday in October; Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in November; and Christmas on December 25.
This lineup checks all three boxes. First, it would garner bipartisan support, with roughly equal benefits for the Left and the Right. Second, it will greatly simplify scheduling, especially for academic calendars. Classes can start in late August and build momentum until Constitution Day—a fitting day on which to take a break. In the spring semester, classes resume after the long winter break and build momentum until early February for MLK Day—another good day to pause.
Third, the holidays are evenly spaced out—separated by about four weeks from January through July, and from September through December. April is the only calendar month during the academic year without a holiday, though Labor Day would come at the very beginning of May. August has no holiday, but this month is traditionally reserved for vacations, so the impact would be lessened.
There are many ways to distribute 11 federal holidays throughout the year to respect tradition and promote efficiency while maximizing reflection and relaxation. This plan accomplishes all three.
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