George Washington was born in the Colony of Virginia on Feb. 22, 1732, and, within his lifetime, his birthday had become a celebrated event for Americans everywhere. For a people used to the trappings of monarchy, including grand birthday celebrations in honor of a king and queen, the marking of Washington’s birthday helped to bridge the transition to a new form of government.
Although they knew they no longer wanted a king, Americans in the 18th and early 19th centuries were uncertain as to how to venerate their president properly, and often fell back on the kinds of birthday celebrations familiar to them as royal subjects. This veneration intensified following Washington’s death in December 1799, right on the cusp of a new century; how would America fare after the loss of its first president and almost divine savior and “father of his country”?
During Washington’s lifetime and in the wake of his death, his birthday was marked by parades, military exercises and grand celebrations. Washington himself was uncomfortable with these commemorations, which he saw as too similar to the role of a monarch, but he also understood their purpose in helping to establish rituals for the new nation. By the mid-19th century, these celebrations had either stopped or been largely muted as living memory of Washington began to fade, but the coming of the Civil War sparked a renewed interest in Washington’s birthday as a time to uphold the ideals of honesty, service to country and unity of purpose that the nation desperately needed as its very survival was at stake.
In February 1860, just over a year before the start of the war, the Cambridge Chronicle reported that “An Order came from the Common Council providing for the firing of a National Salute and the ringing of the bells, on the 22d day of February, Washington’s Birthday. The Board of Aldermen amended by striking out the salute; the Council non-concurred, the Aldermen insisted, and the Council adhered.” To the Board of Aldermen, the tricky logistics and expense of a 21-gun salute was considered excessive and out of proportion to the occasion, which by that time had become much more subdued.
But the following spring, the Confederate troops fired on Fort Sumter, South Carolina, on April 12, 1861, and the nation was launched into a long and bloody civil war. Cambridge newspapers report that Cantabrigians, upon hearing the news, gathered “spontaneously” at the Washington Elm: “The people of Cambridge assembled to determine measures in aid of the government demanded by the startling events now transpiring. The venerable elm was decorated with ancient regimental standards, and a shield of liberty, and draped with flags.” As Cambridge struggled to come to terms with the reality of a divided nation, the city returned to its collective claim on Washington’s legacy as the uniter of diverse colonies and used it as a powerful example of how to move forward during wartime and the Reconstruction period that followed.
The Chronicle argued in February 1864 that, “Surely if the birthday of any man should be celebrated it should be that of Washington, now that his words of wisdom appear in the light of prophecy. We trust all the patriotism in Cambridge did not depart when the volunteers went to the war.”
Washington’s legacy was arguably even more important at this time than during his lifetime, and the Union and Confederate sides laid claim to the former president in their justifications for war. To the South, Washington was first and foremost a Virginian and an enslaver who would, no doubt, ally himself with the Confederacy. To those in the North, including Cambridge residents, Washington was the great unifier whose devotion to his country made him a natural symbol of the Union cause. For both sides, commemorations of Washington’s birthday served to underscore their claim to the president’s legacy.
Cambridge took the advice of the Chronicle, holding a large procession on Feb. 22, 1864, with military companies, bands, church bells pealing and flags flying from public buildings, businesses and homes throughout the city. The parade ended at City Hall, where a host of local dignitaries gave patriotic speeches to a crowd that was so big that the building could not hold them all. Many civic and fraternal organizations held their own commemorations for Washington’s birthday, with teas, suppers, concerts, speeches and balls in his honor.
After the Union victory, the nation faced the equally daunting task of putting itself back together, and Washington’s life continued to be an example of patriotism and the triumph of liberty over tyranny.
Cantabrigians continued their grand celebrations of Washington’s birthday during the Reconstruction period and, from the mid-1860s to the late 1870s, used this occasion to restate their claim to Washington as, if not a New Englander by birth, certainly one in spirit. In 1879, Washington’s Birthday became a national holiday that has evolved to become Presidents’ Day to honor Washington and Abraham Lincoln, born Feb. 12, 1809.
This pairing further linked two men famous for uniting their country in the face of war and cemented the Northern historical narrative that saw the Civil War as a “second American Revolution,” fought to defend the ideals of liberty. Today, Washington’s Birthday has been largely forgotten as a distinct celebration (with the exception of school holidays and car sales), but its commemoration in Civil War-era Cambridge served an important role by providing a model for honor, patriotism and devotion to country that the city sorely needed during a turbulent time.
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Beth Folsom is programs manager for History Cambridge.
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