American Holidays - Exodus Books

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Technically, American holidays aren't holidays. The word holiday means "holy day," and the only paid federal festival that even approaches that description is Thanksgiving. Independence Day, Labor Day, Washington's Birthday, etc. might be holy according to the dogma of the civil religion, but as Christians we reserve adjectives like holy and sacred for Christ and His Church.

That doesn't mean we can't celebrate along with our countrymen. Liberty, justice and equality are American distinctives, and we thank God we live in a country where they're upheld (at least for the most part). To hold our freedom lightly would be ungrateful on our part, so we celebrate it humbly when we have the chance.

Our favorite distinctly American holiday is Thanksgiving. Given the circumstances of its first celebration it's a little ironic that it's a federal holiday, but we aren't complaining. You can read more about it in our Thanksgiving category. We also like Independence Day because Civil War reenactments are fun and fireworks are super rad, but we've given it the full treatment elsewhere.

Many of the other holidays observed by our federal government are less well known or universally celebrated. (We aren't talking about Christmas or New Year; those aren't distinctly American.) Who even knew Columbus Day was a holiday? Well, if you work at the post office or a bank you probably knew, but most of us are quite unaware.

Which is kind of a shame. While we wouldn't support Martin Luther King, Jr.'s theology, celebrating his birthday isn't a celebration of him so much as a memorial to the Civil Rights movement and the struggle of the black community to achieve equal rights and standing as citizens. Insofar as his efforts were a rallying point for many, the holiday bears his name.

Celebrating the birthdays of Columbus and George Washington is almost a no-brainer: without Christopher we wouldn't even be here, and without ol' Georgie we wouldn't be ruled by a president. Those may be broad strokes to paint in, but few nations in the world owe so much to two distinct individuals for their existence.

Of course, millions of others have helped build this land. Memorial Day remembers those Americans who've died in war, while Veterans Day honors everyone who's served in the armed forces; Labor Day is a tip of the hat to the workers of America, the solid constituency that built Chicago, ranched Colorado, and found gold in the middle of Alaska.

There aren't a lot of specifically American traditions. We like to rally around the ones we do have to promote cameraderie and peace, and these holidays provide just that opportunity. If you aren't into celebrating state-sponsored festivals, that's fine. But the fact that you can have that opinion and still enjoy your freedom says a lot for our country, and we're willing to show our gratitude a few times a year.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.

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Parent Categories

Just for Fun

Holidays

American Holidays

Subcategories

Independence Day

- American Revolution (1765-1783)

Thanksgiving

- Pilgrims at Plymouth

79 Items found Print

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	Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr Their Lives, Their Times, Their Duel Landmark #85 by Russel & Anna Crouse from Random House for 5th-9th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	America During Four Wars by Earl Schenck Miers & Felix Sutton from Grosset & Dunlap in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
	American Revolution Landmark #83 by Bruce Bliven, Jr. from Random House for 5th-9th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	B. Franklin, Printer by David A. Adler from Holiday House for 6th-Adult in Biographies (Location: BIO) $8.00 (2 in stock)
	Ben Franklin of Old Philadelphia Landmark #28 by Margaret Cousins from Random House for 5th-8th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Betsy Ross and the Flag Landmark #26 by Jane Mayer from Random House for 5th-8th grade in American Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAND)
	Black Man in America 1619-1790 from Franklin Watts for 6th-12th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $7.50 (1 in stock)
	Captain of the Minute Men or, the Concord Boys of 1775 Boys of Liberty Library by Harrie Irving Hancock from David McKay Company for 5th-8th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham, illustrated by John O'Hara Cosgrave II from Houghton Mifflin Biography for 5th-9th grade 1956 Newbery Medal winner in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Cromwell's Head by Olivia Coolidge, illustrated by Edward A. Wilson from Houghton Mifflin Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Daniel Boone: The Opening of the Wilderness Landmark #21 by John Mason Brown from Random House for 5th-9th grade in American Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAND)
	Dolly Madison Landmark #47 by Jane Mayer from Random House for 5th-9th grade in Vintage & Collectible (Location: VIN-COL)
	Drumbeats in Williamsburg by Isabelle Lawrence from Rand McNally for 4th-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Drums Scribner Illustrated Classics by James Boyd 1^st edition from Atheneum for 5th-10th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
	Eating the Plates by Lucille Recht Penner 1^st edition from Simon and Schuster for 4th-8th grade in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Far Frontier by William O. Steele; illustrated by Paul Galdone from Harcourt for 4th-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Feast of Thanksgiving: A Play The First American Holiday by June Behrens, Illustrated by Anne Siberell from Children's Press for 6th-Adult in Holidays (Location: HOLIDAY) $5.00 (2 in stock)
	Fight for Freedom The American Revolutionary War by Benson Bobrick 1^st edition from Atheneum for 5th-10th grade in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV) $24.99 $15.00 (1 in stock)
	George Rogers Clark, Soldier in the West by Walter Havinghurst from McGraw-Hill for 7th-10th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	George Washington The Soul of a Nation by M. D. Holmes from John C. Winston for 6th-Adult in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	George Washington & the Founding of a Nation by Albert Marrin from Dutton Children's Books Biography for 7th-10th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	George Washington and the Making of a Nation by Marcus Cunliffe from Troll Associates for 6th-10th grade in American Heritage Junior Library (Location: VIN-HIS)
	George Washington's World (pictorial hardcover) by Genevieve Foster from Charles Scribner's Sons for 7th-10th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $38.00 (1 in stock)
	George Washington: Frontier Colonel Landmark #71 by Sterling North from Random House for 5th-9th grade in Vintage & Collectible (Location: VIN-COL)
	George Washington: Soldier and Man by North Callahan from William Morrow & Company for 7th-10th grade in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS) $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Golden Book History of the United States Volume 3 The Age of Revolution From 1774 to 1783 by Earl Schenck Miers from Golden Press for 4th-8th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Golden Book of the American Revolution from Golden Press for 4th-8th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Haym Salomon: Liberty's Son by Shirley Milgrim, illustrated by Richard Fish from Jewish Publication Society for 4th-8th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	History of Plymouth by William Bradford from Walter J. Black, Inc. for 8th-Adult in Walter J. Black Classics Club (Location: VIN-LITWJB)
	Jack Wade, Fighter for Liberty A Doubleday Signal Book by Irving Werstein, illustrated by Albert Orbaan from Doubleday & Company for 4th-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Johnny Tremain Illustrated American Classics by Esther Forbes from Houghton Mifflin Historical Fiction/Adventure for 3rd-10th grade 1944 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $14.00 (1 in stock)
	Lafayette in America North Star Books #15 by André Maurois from Houghton Mifflin for 6th-8th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Lafayette! Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #8 by Nathan Hale from Amulet Books for 4th-8th grade in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC) $14.99
	Landing of the Pilgrims Landmark #2 by James Daugherty from Random House for 5th-8th grade in American Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAND)
	Landing of the Pilgrims Spencer Press Landmark #2 (RH#3) by James Daugherty from Spencer Press for 5th-8th grade in American Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAND)
	Lexington, Concord and Bunker Hill by Francis Russell from Troll Associates for 6th-10th grade in American Heritage Junior Library (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Liberty or Death The Surprising Story of Runaway Slaves Who Sided with the British During the American Revolution by Margaret Whitman Blair from National Geographic for 4th-9th grade in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV) $7.00 (1 in stock)
	Life & Times of Washington by Mario Rivoire from Curtis Publishing Co. Biography for 8th-12th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Life & Times of Washington by Mario Rivoire, translated by C.J. Richards from Arnoldo Mondadori Editore Biography for 8th-12th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Marquis de Lafayette Bright Sword for Freedom World Landmark #34 by Hodding Carter from Random House in World Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAN)
	Meggy MacIntosh A Highland Girl in the Carolina Colony by Elizabeth Janet Gray, illustrated by Marguerite de Angeli from Viking Press for 7th-10th grade 1931 Newbery Honor Book in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Military Buttons of the American Revolution by Don Troiani, photographs by Michael O'Donnell, foreword by James Kochan from Thomas Publications for 8th-Adult in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
	My Brother Sam Is Dead by James & Christopher Collier from Simon and Schuster Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade 1975 Newbery Honor Book in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving by Louisa May Alcott, illustrated by Michael McCurdy from Holiday House Family Stories for 4th-8th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
	Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving by Louisa May Alcott, illustrated by Michael McCurdy from Lippincott Family Stories for 4th-8th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
	One Dead Spy Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #1 by Nathan Hale from Amulet Books for 3rd-8th grade in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC) $14.99
	Our Independence and the Constitution Spencer Press Landmark #4 (RH#5) by Dorothy Canfield Fisher from Spencer Press for 5th-8th grade in American Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAND)
	Paul Revere and the Minute Men Landmark #4 by Dorothy Canfield Fisher from Random House for 5th-8th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Paul Revere and the Minute Men Spencer Press Landmark #3 (RH#4) by Dorothy Canfield Fisher from Spencer Press for 5th-8th grade in American Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAND)
	Poor Richard by James Daugherty Biography for 6th-9th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	Real Book about George Washington by Harold Coy, illustrated by Elinore Blaisdell from Garden City Books for 5th-8th grade in Real Books series (Location: VIN-RBA) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Real Revolution from Clarion Books for 5th-8th grade in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV) $22.00
	Revolutionary War: America's Fight for Freedom by Bart McDowell 1983 Printing from National Geographic for 6th-Adult in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior by George Washington from Applewood Books for 4th-9th grade in 18th Century Literature (Location: LIT5-18)
	Rush Revere and the American Revolution Time-Travel Adventures with Exceptional Americans by Rush Limbaugh with Kathryn Adams Limbaugh from Threshold Editions for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims Time-Travel Adventures with Exceptional Americans by Rush Limbaugh from Threshold Editions for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Rush Revere and the First Patriots Time-Travel Adventures with Exceptional Americans by Rush Limbaugh 1St Edition from Threshold Editions for 4th-8th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Saints and Strangers Being the Lives of the Pilgrim Fathers and Their Families... by George F. Willison for 7th-Adult in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $6.00 (2 in stock)
	Spirit of 1776 Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness During the American Revolution by Peter Seymour from Hallmark Publications for 6th-Adult in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Story of Andrew Jackson Grosset & Dunlap Signature #13 by Enid LaMonte Meadowcroft, illustrated by David Hendrickson from Grosset & Dunlap Biography for 5th-9th grade in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
	Story of Benjamin Franklin Grosset & Dunlap Signature #5 by Enid LaMonte Meadowcroft, illustrated by Edward A. Wilson from Grosset & Dunlap Biography for 5th-9th grade in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
	Story of George Washington Grosset & Dunlap Signature #12 by Enid LaMonte Meadowcroft, illustrated by Edward A. Wilson from Grosset & Dunlap Biography for 5th-9th grade in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
	Story of John Paul Jones Grosset & Dunlap Signature #20 by Iris Vinton, illustrated by Edward A. Wilson from Grosset & Dunlap Biography for 5th-9th grade in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
	Story of Lafayette Signature Books #7 by Hazel Wilson, illustrated by Edy Legrand from Grosset & Dunlap Biograhy for 4th-8th grade in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
	Story of Mad Anthony Wayne Grosset & Dunlap Signature #24 by Hazel Wilson, illustrated by Lawrence Beall Smith from Grosset & Dunlap Biography for 5th-9th grade in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
	Story of Martha Washington Grosset & Dunlap Signature #32 by Jeannette C. Nolan, illustrated by Corinne B. Dillon from Grosset & Dunlap Biography for 4th-8th grade in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
	Story of the Declaration of Independence by Dumas Malone; pictures by Hirst Milhollen and Milton Kaplan for 8th-12th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $7.50 (2 in stock)
	Swamp Fox of the Revolution Landmark #90 by Stewart H. Holbrook from Random House for 5th-9th grade in Vintage & Collectible (Location: VIN-COL)
	Tavern at the Ferry by Edwin Tunis from Thomas Y. Crowell & Co. for 7th-Adult in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Washington at Valley Forge by Freedman, Russell First Edition from Holiday House for 4th-8th grade in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
	We Were There at the Battle of Lexington and Concord We Were There #20 by Felix Sutton, illustrated by H. B. Vestal from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There at the Boston Tea Party We Were There #3 by Robert N. Webb, illustrated by E. F. Ward from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There When Washington Won at Yorktown We Were There #17 by Earl Schenck Miers, illustrated by Herman B. Vestal from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There with Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys We Were There #10 by Robert N. Webb, illustrated by Robert Pious from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	We Were There with the Mayflower Pilgrims We Were There #7 by Robert N. Webb, illustrated by Charles J. Andres from Grosset & Dunlap Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade in We Were There Series (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Winter at Valley Forge Landmark #33 by F. Van Wyck Mason from Random House for 5th-9th grade in Vintage & Collectible (Location: VIN-COL)
	Yankee Doodle Boy A Young Soldier's Adventures in the American Revolution Told by Himself by Joseph Martin from Holiday House Historical Non-Fiction for 5th-8th grade in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV) $12.00 (1 in stock)
	Year of Independence, 1776 by Genevieve Foster from Charles Scribner's Sons History Reference/Biography for 7th-10th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
	Year of the Pilgrims, 1620 by Genevieve Foster from Charles Scribner's Sons History Reference/Biography for 7th-10th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)

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