Black History Month

Throughout the month of February, we recognize the many, often overlooked, contributions African Americans have made to America’s history. The evolution of Black History Month itself is fascinating, tracing back to the end of the Civil War.

The Emancipation Proclamation went into effect on January 1, 1863, ending slavery, and was codified in the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which was ratified in 1868. And yet, it may come as a surprise to many students, it wasn’t until the 1960s … just 60 years ago, and 96 years after the 14th Amendment promised that the government would enforce “equal protection of the laws” … that African Americans were finally guaranteed the rights that the Constitution says every citizen should enjoy.

Until the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964, African Americans could be denied entry to theaters, restaurants, hotels, swimming pools, libraries and public schools, and could be denied a job based on race. Before the Voting Rights Act of 1965 became law, African Americans could encounter state and local barriers, designed to deny them their right to vote.

Even with these advancements, textbooks and classrooms in the 1960s and 1970s primarily focused on the history of Caucasian Americans when teaching American history. Despite being a significant part of the American narrative, the lives of many prominent African Americans were rarely mentioned in history classes.

In 1976, President Gerald Ford seized the opportunity of America’s bicentennial year to officially recognize Black History Month. In doing so, President Ford encouraged Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”

Every day, each of us encounter things invented by African Americans. Here are a few examples:

• Potato chips – Created by George Crum in 1853 while working at a resort in Saratoga Springs, New York.
• The Super Soaker – After a successful career at NASA, Lonnie G. Johnson invented the high-performance, pressurized water gun, which became the #1-selling toy of the 1990s.
• The traffic signal – Garrett Morgan’s three-light system improved traffic control.
• The refrigerated truck – Frederick McKinley Jones’s portable cooling unit revolutionized food transport.
• The home security system – Marie Van Brittan Brown created the first home security system in 1966.
• Mobile communication – In 1887, Granville T. Woods invented the induction telegraph, which allowed train-to-train and train-to-station communication, preventing many rail accidents.
• The gas mask – Invented by Garrett Morgan in 1912, the gas mask saved thousands of soldiers’ lives during World War I, when poisonous gas was first used as a weapon. If that weren’t enough, he also invented the modern traffic signal.
• The light bulb – Edison may have invented the concept, but Lewis Latimer added the carbon filament that made lightbulbs last longer and made them commercially viable.
• Open-heart surgery – Daniel Hale Williams established the Provident Hospital and Training School Association in Chicago, insisting on the highest standards concerning sanitary conditions. In 1893, he performed the first open-heart surgery, which was also the first time a chest cavity had ever been opened without the patient dying of an infection.
• The blood bank – Dr. Charles Drew invented a technique for the long-term preservation of blood plasma. Prior to his discovery, blood could only be stored for two days. Dr. Drew also discovered that everyone has the same type of plasma, regardless of blood type, making plasma transfusions universal.

Other African Americans who have made the world a better place are Rosa Parks, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Nat King Cole, Alvin Ailey, Berry Gordy, Jr., Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Althea Gibson, Jackie Robinson, Thurgood Marshall, Barack Obama, and the list could go on and on.

American history has benefited from the skills and talents of people from every race, religion, and ethnic background. Celebrating Black History Month is a way for Americans to express gratitude to members of the African American community who have given our country so much, and whose achievements went unrecognized for so long.

Valentine Day

The Roman Empire, which, in 270 A.D., was nearing the end of its domination as a world power, had to maintain a massive army to defend its borders. Roman emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives or families, so he outlawed marriage for young men.

Valentine was a Catholic priest who considered the ban on marriage to be unjust, and he secretly performed marriages for any young couples who requested it. When Claudius discovered Valentine breaking the law, he had him arrested and sent to prison.

The Catholic Church made Valentine a saint for his sacrifice, and chose February 14, the date of his death, as the day on which he would be honored. Centuries later, in medieval England and France, people believed that February 14 was the day that many birds, returning for the spring, picked their mates.

English poet, Geoffrey Chaucer, made the link between St. Valentine’s Day and romance in a poem composed in the late 1300s about birds. The fanciful poem has birds discussing everything from politics to love, and ends in praise of Saint Valentine, relating Valentine’s Day to the date the birds would choose their mates, and to the coming of warmer weather. To paraphrase:

From that brief mention in just one poem from more than 600 years ago, the tradition started. By the mid-1700s, people regularly made and exchanged Valentine’s Day cards, a custom which became popular in America in the mid-1800s when Esther Howland started the New England Valentine Company and began mass-producing Valentine cards. Today, 180 million cards are exchanged each year, and it’s all based on an incident that happened over 1,700 years ago.

Presidents Day

After the death of George Washington in 1799, his birthday on February 22 started being celebrated as a kind of unofficial holiday. Every year, Americans would observe Washington’s birthday by commemorating his achievements as one of America’s first great leaders.

By 1879, the annual celebration of Washington’s birth had gained immense popularity. In response, President Rutherford B. Hayes signed it into law, making February 22 a federal holiday. However, since the date coincided with Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, just 10 days earlier on February 12, Americans began honoring both Washington and Lincoln on February 22.

In 1971, the federal government enacted the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. This act established certain holidays to be celebrated on Mondays, thereby increasing the number of three-day weekends for federal employees. Consequently, Washington’s birthday celebration was moved to the third Monday of February. Although it was still technically Washington’s Birthday, states soon adopted the term “Presidents Day” to give it a broader name and honor all who have served as president.

While this holiday originally began as a celebration of Washington alone, and we should never overlook the significance of our nation’s first leader, it is crucial that we reflect on the remarkable achievements of all our presidents. Each president has played a vital role in shaping the United States into the nation we know today.