Grant signs act making first US federal holidays

Background. Ulysses S. Grant was sworn in as president on March 4, 1869, and served as the 18th president from 1869 to 1877. By January 1870, the economy had resumed its post-war recovery. In this setting, on June 28, 1870, Congress created national holidays to correspond with similar laws of states around the District and in every state of the Union.

Legislative Action. Congress created national holidays on June 28, 1870, to correspond with similar laws of states around the District and in every state of the Union. The act initially applied only to federal employees in Washington, D.C. It established Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day as federal holidays. Coverage was extended to all federal employees in 1885.

Context of 1870. The year 1870 fell within Grant's presidency, which ran from 1869 to 1877. Other legislative actions of 1870 included the Naturalization Act, granting citizenship to foreign black people, and the creation of the Justice Department to enforce Reconstruction. These events are recorded as occurring in the same year as the national holidays; the passages do not state that they were connected to the holiday legislation.