Martin Luther King Day
Tomorrow will be Martin Luther King Day, a holiday observed in the United States on the third Monday in January each year. That day is selected because it is the closest Monday to Dr. King's birthday of January 15th. President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed in 1986. At first, some states resisted observing the holiday, giving it alternative names or combining it with other holidays. It was officially observed in all 50 states for the first time in 2000.
After King's death, Representative John Conyers, a Democrat from Michigan, introduced a bill in Congress to make King's birthday a national holiday. The bill first came to a vote in the House of Representatives in 1979, but it failed to pass by five votes.The main arguments raised against the bill were that a paid holiday for federal employees would be too expensive, and that a holiday to honor a private citizen would be contrary to longstanding tradition. Dr. King had never held public office. The King Center mounted a successful public campaign which included Stevie Wonder's release of the single "Happy Birthday" to popularize the campaign in 1980 and the Rally for Peace Press Conference in 1981. Six million signatures were collected for a petition to Congress to pass the law.
Congressman Katie Hall a Democrat from Indiana introduced a new bill in 1983. Senator Jesse Helms (Republican of North Carolina) led opposition to the bill and questioned whether King was important enough to receive such an honor. He also criticized King's opposition to the Vietnam War and accused him of espousing "action-oriented Marxism". Senator John McCain of Arizona also voted against the creation of the holiday, but later reversed his position. The bill passed by a vote of 338 to 90 in the House and 78 to 22 in the Senate. The bill was signed on November 2, 1983, President Reagan at a ceremony in the Rose Garden. The holiday was observed for the first time on January 20, 1986.
The bill established the Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday Commission to oversee observance of the holiday, and Coretta Scott King, Martin Luther King Jr.'s wife, was made a member of this commission for life by President George H. W. Bush in May 1989.
Following in a YouTube video of President Reagan's speech made on the occasion of the signing of this bill.
After King's death, Representative John Conyers, a Democrat from Michigan, introduced a bill in Congress to make King's birthday a national holiday. The bill first came to a vote in the House of Representatives in 1979, but it failed to pass by five votes.The main arguments raised against the bill were that a paid holiday for federal employees would be too expensive, and that a holiday to honor a private citizen would be contrary to longstanding tradition. Dr. King had never held public office. The King Center mounted a successful public campaign which included Stevie Wonder's release of the single "Happy Birthday" to popularize the campaign in 1980 and the Rally for Peace Press Conference in 1981. Six million signatures were collected for a petition to Congress to pass the law.
Congressman Katie Hall a Democrat from Indiana introduced a new bill in 1983. Senator Jesse Helms (Republican of North Carolina) led opposition to the bill and questioned whether King was important enough to receive such an honor. He also criticized King's opposition to the Vietnam War and accused him of espousing "action-oriented Marxism". Senator John McCain of Arizona also voted against the creation of the holiday, but later reversed his position. The bill passed by a vote of 338 to 90 in the House and 78 to 22 in the Senate. The bill was signed on November 2, 1983, President Reagan at a ceremony in the Rose Garden. The holiday was observed for the first time on January 20, 1986.
The bill established the Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday Commission to oversee observance of the holiday, and Coretta Scott King, Martin Luther King Jr.'s wife, was made a member of this commission for life by President George H. W. Bush in May 1989.
Following in a YouTube video of President Reagan's speech made on the occasion of the signing of this bill.