Celebrating American Historical Holidays

Celebrating American Historical Holidays

Recognizing and celebrating historical holidays presents opportunities to explore pivotal moments, key figures, and central conflicts in American history.

To support deeper engagement, the Gilder Lehrman Institute offers a wealth of resources—including over 86,000 primary source documents from its Collection, essays from its online journal History Now, videos of talks by eminent scholars, and lesson plans created by American history teachers—all designed to assist educators in guiding discussions, inspiring class projects, and enriching their curriculum with directly applicable content.

banner with different image vignettes from American History

Historical Holidays

A painting of the Battle of Pea Ridge

Memorial Day

A federal holiday for honoring and mourning the U.S. Military Service Personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces is observed on the last Monday of May.

Normandy landing D-Day

D-Day

D-Day (June 6, 1944) proved to be the beginning of the end of the war in Europe, as Germany faced a full-scale assault on two fronts by the American, British, and Canadian military. 

Lithograph depicting an African American family gathered around a soldier reading a newspaper. The family all look to the soldier in varying states of shock and hope as he reads the emancipation proclamation. Present are eleven people including a mother who is kneeling and praying in the center of the image.

Juneteenth

On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers led by Major General Gordon Granger landed at Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War was over and that enslaved people were free.

One print entitled The Declaration of Independence July 4th 1776 dated circa 1850. This image is a gathering of men and is considered to be depicting the signing or presentation of the Declaration of Independence.

Independence Day

In 1870, nearly a hundred years after the Declaration of Independence was written, Congress declared July 4 a national holiday.

1909 photo of 4 women strikers on a picket line

Labor Day

Responding to widespread labor unrest, U.S. President Grover Cleveland, together with Congress, enacted the first national Labor Day in 1894 to recognize workers’ contributions.

A painting depicting the signing of the Constitution.

Constitution Day

Constitution Day commemorates the signing of the US Constitution by thirty-nine delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787.

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Commemorative Months

Pecan Shellers picketing in 1938

National Hispanic Heritage Month

National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15–October 15) celebrates the contributions made by Hispanic and Latino Americans to the history and culture of the United States. 

April Lou, teacher at PS 1, Manhattan, with six Chinese children, recent arrivals from Hong Kong and Formosa, who are holding up placards giving his or her Chinese name in ideographs and in transliteration. Photo by Fred Palumbo, 1964 (Library of Congress)

Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month

May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, recognizing the achievements and contributions of Asians, Pacific Islanders, and Native Hawaiians to the history and culture of the United States.