In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as
the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: "To us
in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride
in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude
for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and
because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace
and justice in the councils of the nations…"
The original concept for the celebration was for a day
observed with parades and public meetings and a brief suspension of business
beginning at 11:00 a.m. The United States Congress officially recognized the
end of World War I when it passed a concurrent resolution on June 4, 1926.
An Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May
13, 1938, made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday—a day to be
dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known
as "Armistice Day." Armistice Day was primarily a day set aside to
honor veterans of World War I, but in 1954, after World War II had required the
greatest mobilization of soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen in the Nation’s
history; after American forces had fought aggression in Korea, the 83rd
Congress, at the urging of the veterans service organizations, amended the Act
of 1938 by striking out the word "Armistice" and inserting in its
place the word "Veterans." With the approval of this legislation
(Public Law 380) on June 1, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor American
veterans of all wars. Later that same year, on October 8th, President Dwight D.
Eisenhower issued the first "Veterans Day Proclamation."
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has several educational
resources online to help celebrate Veterans Day, including teachers resources,
photo galleries, the Veterans History Project, outreach opportunities and more.
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