By George, remember Washington

Can anybody name the holiday that gives us today off?

Odds are that the public has been too well-accustomed to the commercials and bargains, and will identify the occasion as Presidents' Day.

The true holiday is Washington's Birthday.

President Chester Arthur signed a bill in 1885 making Washington's birthday a federal holiday. Although Congress later moved the date to the third Monday in February to save taxpayer dollars, the occasion is still the general's birthday and not "Presidents' Day."

The misnomer caught on as a marketing phenomenon and was adopted as a state holiday by a dozen states, including California. The trend of presidential inclusion, unfortunately, removes the focus from America's greatest president.

Without Washington's role in the development of our nation, it is clear that we would not have the institution of the presidency to later commemorate.

Washington led the ragtag militias to secure independence from the world's greatest military power. It was Washington's resolve and discipline that enabled the units to survive the brutal winter at Valley Forge.

Washington resisted congressional pressure to steal food from farmers to feed his armies, and it was his rejection of situational ethics that defined American character.

After the war, Washington made sure that Continental bonds were paid back with interest, establishing good public credit that kept our Republic afloat in its first century.

Among many achievements, Washington served as the president of the Philadelphia Convention of 1787. In his role as chairman of the Constitutional Convention, Washington presided over the debates surrounding the Constitution. Only two years later, Washington became the only unanimously-elected President, a feat repeated in 1792.

Washington's integrity restrained him from becoming an American monarch, allowing a peaceful transition of power upon his retirement at rustic Mount Vernon. He also had the dignity of liberating his slaves upon his death.

"First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen, he was second to none," said Henry Lee in eulogizing Washington in 1799.

As President James Buchanan once said, "When the birthday of Washington shall be forgotten, liberty will have perished from the earth."

Darin Schemmer is a senior majoring in history and political science at UC Riverside.