Public holidays once achieved a similar effect, giving busy citizens a chance to meet one another and enjoy fellowship through shared meals and traditions. During the 20th century, Americans turned away from these civic festivities in favor of private celebrations. The Fourth of July, Memorial Day, Thanksgiving, and other occasions increasingly became opportunities to retreat into the comforts of home, flipping through television channels from cozy recliners. President’s Day—arriving soon on Feb. 16—may lead some of us to just that kind of safe, secluded unwinding.
As someone who studies American history closely in my faculty role at Cedarville University, those choices for separation, though briefly pleasant, may have weakened our civic spirit over time. Polls and studies since 2020 show that few Americans believe the three branches of government function effectively or that our political system serves the public interest well.
This bleak view of our republic is reinforced by social isolation and affordability fears. A mood of disappointment and helplessness can also foster political violence, as individuals lose a sense of the worth of their own and their neighbors’ lives while longing for dramatic change fueled by rancorous debate.
Democracy takes work, especially in an era shaped by distant institutions and automated processes with little face-to-face interaction. Online shopping meets most of our physical needs. We follow our favorite sports teams around the clock through phones and screens, and we explore or express political views through social media platforms and cable news. The resulting world overflows with convenience and abundance but lacks the wisdom and community required to choose representatives or meet local challenges such as infrastructure, education, and public safety.
How can you select a school board candidate or city council member among dozens promising better programs, more efficient spending, and a stronger football team? We need trusted friends who know the community well enough to point out people who kept their word and handled difficult tasks with grace. Finding—and becoming—such friends requires a rich tapestry of local connections built over years of shared work and conversation. Yet we often neglect the small, short-term activities that generate these long-term benefits and bring “We the People” to life.
This President’s Day offers an opportunity to reweave some threads in America’s tattered civic fabric. Invite a neighbor over, meet a friend for a meal, and ask whether they have a favorite president before sharing your own. The holiday, falling between Abraham Lincoln’s birthday on Feb. 12 and George Washington’s on Feb. 22, exists to give us a restful moment to find common ground with fellow citizens. We can share admiration for Washington and Lincoln—two worthy leaders controversial in their time—who helped carry the republic through crises.
Americans honor their legacies by investing time, energy, and even a little money in turning cold neighborhoods into warm communities. These small sacrifices, and the habits of listening, service, and unselfishness they cultivate, can help our nation weather the next viral partisan video, media cycle, or election season.
I want to live in a country with less political violence, greater common purpose, wiser leaders, and stronger local bonds. Treating President’s Day and other public holidays as serious opportunities to connect with neighbors moves us toward that future. At the very least, we will find more helping hands the next time a storm buries our cars and tests the strength of our arms and backs.
Stanley Schwartz is an assistant professor of history at Cedarville University.