February: Celebrating Presidents, Love and Black History

February is an extremely busy month. It is Black History month and then there is Valentine’s Day and President’s Day.  Take a moment to think about all this. Take time with the one you love on Valentine’s Day – forget the commercialization of the holiday and celebrate the sentimentality of it. Then remember George Washington and Abraham Lincoln on their birthdays and reflect on our government and all the Presidents who have ever served these United States. Finally, don’t forget to delve into the myriad of African Americans well-known and not so well-known who have left a mark on our history, our community and our world and celebrate achievement, tenacity and courage during Black History Month.

As for my part – when at the Soldiers & Sailors Monument we always talk about the African Americans represented in bronze and their role during the Civil War. During the month of February we take extra time to speak of their courage and tenacity in the face of the odds. Now, I have put together my Valentine’s package for my husband and I can concentrate on my history and put together my display about the Presidents at work.

I guess I have been fortunate because as a historian I have been exposed to learning about the personalities and the achievements of a great many of those men so honored to serve these United States in our travels whether it is visiting their gravesites or their homes or museums built to honor them. Not all presidents were great, true, and some stand out more than others. I have my favorites in George Washington, Teddy Roosevelt, FDR, Rutherford B Hayes, and James A Garfield for various reasons and it’s not just because they were presidents; for, that was only one part of their lives. Who influences your life?  Who stands out – interests you enough to learn more about them?

George Washington is one of my great heroes in life and I look to him often because he had achieved so much in his life and had done so much for himself and others.  He was greatly admired in his lifetime and more so beyond.  He was more than a great military general or even the First President. He was also a friend, husband, father and grandfather. I encourage people to visit Mount Vernon and learn about the real George Washington; when he lived and how he lived. You will find that many of his achievements in the military, government, and even farming are still studied today.

Abraham Lincoln was a man of his time and a man for the ages as well. He found himself facing a civil war, one that America was heading into for a decade previous to the beginning of the secession of some of the southern states in December 1860 and the bombing of Fort Sumter in April of 1861. He was the strong arm and true leader of his time though and brought America out of its darkest days. He probably stands out in the minds of Americans perhaps best because he was the first president to be assassinated but let’s not forget his achievements and his true force of character.

There are other presidents whom I have had the great pleasure to learn more about such as Garfield and Hayes, whom I teach about when at the Monument, or Teddy Roosevelt, President Wilson, Eisenhower, or even FDR. I have come to respect them for what they faced and how they faced the crises in their lives whether it was personal or as President.  We could learn so much from them if we open our minds to understanding them in the context of their own time.

So, during this month of February, take time to tell your loved ones how much they mean to you in your life and then take the time to learn about those whose struggles and achievements have shaped our lives and have shaped America.