This history of Veteran’s Day is quite interesting. Although the official treaty to end World War I was signed on June 28, 1919, in Versailles, France; the fighting had ended on November 11, 1918. There was a cessation of the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month and for this reason, November 11, 1918, is considered the true end of the war.
In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as “Armistice Day” beginning with the following speech:
“To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who dies in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…”
Originally, this day was meant for a day of parades and public meetings and a brief suspension of business beginning at 11:00 am. However, an act approved on May 13, 1938, was a day to celebrate world peace not just for WWI but also World War I, “Armistice Day” was changed to “Veteran’s Day” which was approved on June 1, 1954. Later that same year, President Eisenhower proclaimed that Veteran’s day:
Originally, this day was meant for a day of parades and public meetings and a brief suspension of business beginning at 11:00 am. However, an act approved on May 13, 1938, was a day to celebrate world peace not just for WWI but also World War I, “Armistice Day” was changed to “Veteran’s Day” which was approved on June 1, 1954. Later that same year, President Eisenhower proclaimed that Veteran’s day:
“In order to insure proper and widespread observance of this anniversary, all veterans, all veteran’ organizations, and the entire citizenry will wish to join hands in the common purpose.”
Another interesting fact is that on in 1968, the Uniform Holiday Bill was signed making four national holidays (Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Veteran’s Day, and Columbus Day) a three-day weekend for federal workers. However, this did not go over well by the people of the United States and on September 20th, 1975, President Ford signed a Law that returned this holiday back to the original date of November 11th.
To this day, Veteran’s Day is observed on November 11 without regard for the day of the week it falls on. Returning Veteran’s Day back to November 11 preserves the historical significance of the day but helps focus attention on the important purpose of the day:
Regards,
Holley Jacobs
