About the USA

Celebrate! Holidays in the U.S.A.
Black History Month
February

BLACK HISTORY MONTH is one of the most widely-celebrated of federal months. It was originally established in 1926 as Negro History Week by noted African-Ameri-can author and Harvard University scholar, Dr. Carter G. Woodson. Dr. Woodson’s hope was that this special observance would remind all Americans of their ethnic roots, and that the commemoration would increase mutual respect. In 1976 the celebration was expanded to include the entire month, and it became known as Black History Month, also called African American History Month. The month of February was chosen since it contains the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas. Lincoln is honored because of the Emancipation Proclamation (see page 16) that freed the slaves, and Douglas is honored as one of the most infl uential moral leaders, orators, and authors of American history.

Celebrate! Holidays in the U.S.A.
Valentine's Day
February 14

VALENTINE’S DAY has roots in several different legends that have found their way to us through the ages. One of the earliest popular symbols of the day is Cupid, the Roman god of Love, who is represented by the image of a young cherub with bow and arrow.

Valentine’s Day is named after a Roman martyr named Valentine. Actually, there are two Valentines in the history of Roman martyrs. One was a Christian priest, who lived around 300 AD. He had been thrown in prison for his teachings, and for refusing to worship the Roman gods. He also supposedly cured the jailer’s daughter of her blindness. On February 14, this Valentine was beheaded. As the story goes, the night before he was executed, he wrote the jailer’s daughter a farewell letter, signing it, “From Your Valentine.”

eJournal USA
eJournal USA: The Sprit of Volunteerism

This issue of eJournalUSA is dedicated to the unheralded citizens who collectively contribute some $173 billion annually through their unpaid labor. They are part of a tradition of volunteerism that has deep roots in U.S. society. Firefighting was an early form of volunteerism that Benjamin Franklin introduced in Philadelphia in 1736. This innovative idea spread rapidly, and within a few years the cities up and down the eastern seaboard of North America boasted volunteer fire companies.

[Last Updated: 1/31/2013]