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Hail to the Chiefs!
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Before 1971,
there were two Federal (officially recognized by the government)
holidays in February honoring two of our greatest presidents: February
12, which is Abraham Lincoln' s birthday, and February 22, George
Washington's birthday. But in 1971 President Nixon declared that
there would be only one federal holiday in February, the third Monday
of the month, and it would be called Presidents' Day, honoring not
only Washington and Lincoln, but all of our past presidents.
This year, Presidents' Day is February 19th. And just to get your
curiosity stirred up, here are some facts about the two presidents
born in February.
George Washington was born on February 22, 1732 in Westmoreland,
Virginia. He served as our nation's first president, from April
30, 1789 to March 4, 1797. Before he took office, her was a great
army general --- most famously, commander in chief of the Continental
forces during the American Revolution. Several years after the war
he entered politics and was soon elected president. He died December
14, 1799 at his estate, Mount Vernon, in Fairfax, Virginia.
Abraham Lincoln was born February 12, 1809 in Hardin (which is
now known as Larue) County, Kentucky. He began his term as our 16th
president on March 4th, 1861 just about a month before the Civil
War began. In 1862, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation which
abolished slavery, a move that angered many people at the time,
including a man named John Wilkes Booth. On April 14, 1865, Booth
shot President Lincoln as he sat watching a performance at Ford's
Theatre in Washington. Lincoln died the next morning.
Read on and check out our books on these presidents and other
past presidents, too!
----- Shannon
Maughan
 STUCK
ON THE PRESIDENTS
by Lara Bergen
Jonathan Milne (Illustrator)
Grosset & Dunlap
ISBN: 0448412845
Ages 7-10
48 pages
This cool book
brings the past alive through fun facts ("Who was the first president
to wear long pants?") and more serious information, too. More than
280 stickers feature images of the First Ladies, the various American
flags and symbols used during each presidency.
JOHN
AND ABIGAIL ADAMS (Available April 2001)
by Judith St.
George
illustrated by Lizzy Rockwell
Holiday House
ISBN: 0823415716
Ages 8-12
192 pages
John Adams was
only the second president of the U.S. When he took office, his wife
Abigail supported his career and also continued to make a name for
herself, as well, speaking out on women's rights and other issues
important to her. Their son, John Quincy Adams later became president,
too --- the only instance of father-son presidents until George
W. Bush became president in 2001.
PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: A Biography of Our Forty-Third President
by Beatrice Gormley
Aladdin
ISBN: 068984123X
Ages 10-14
Although it
took an awful long time to determine who would become president
after Election Day (November 8, 2000), we now know that George W.
Bush, former governor of Texas, prevailed. He took his oath of office
on January 20, 2001 and is now forging ahead with his plans for
our country. This "instant" book, printed as soon as the election
results were made official, looks at Mr. Bush's childhood, his education
and family life, and his road to the White House.
OUR COUNTRY'S PRESIDENTS
by Ann Bausum, with a foreword by George W. Bush
National Geographic
ISBN: 0792272269
Ages 8-up
192 pages
This up-to-date
family reference guide is jam-packed with information on all 43
of our nation's presidents. It profiles the presidents and first
ladies and the children who called the White House home. Read more
about the history of the White House, itself, too. You'll find out
more about the presidency itself, our country's two-party political
system and more. Lots of photos, an index and a chart of the presidents
make this fascinating volume extra helpful.
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