President’s Day And The Presidency: Steeped In Tea

Did you know that the federal holiday known as “Presidents Day,” celebrated on the third Monday of every February, is officially “Washington’s Birthday?” Even so, many states call their own celebration Presidents Day.

Image Courtesy of pal2pal.com

It was 1880 when the idea of adding George Washington’s date of birth to the existing holidays (New Year’s Day, July 4^th, Thanksgiving, and Christmas) was signed into law. Adding Washington’s Birthday as a federal holiday was both a popular and unprecedented idea. At first, it only applied to workers in the District of Columbia.  It wasn’t until 1885 it extended to all federal workers in the thirty-eight states.

There was an attempt in 1968 by the US Congress to officially change “Washington’s Birthday” to “President’s Day,” but this suggestion died in committee.  In any event, the day is an excellent opportunity to highlight the flavorful influence that tea has had on our American experience, back to before independence from Great Britain.

Our country is indeed richly steeped in an association with tea and tea drinking Presidents: from the colonies’ commercial ties to the East India Company, to the revolutionary Boston Tea Party, and to our tea-loving President Washington, who routinely enjoyed three cups of tea (no cream or sugar) every day.

Image of Presidential Tea Cup Courtesy of inauguralstore.com

Fast–forward though 200 years of Presidential Teas at the White House, 43 presidents, and right up to 2010, where the 44^th President Barack Obama chooses tea over coffee…at Bigelow Tea, we guess that if drinking tea is not a prerequisite for being President of the United States, it certainly doesn’t hurt.

Why not continue the now distinctly American tradition and enjoy an extra cup today for the Holiday…and for some fun, take this short President’s Day quiz in honor of our founding fathers.