Most all of the U.S. commemorates today as Presidents Day. And while it’s traditionally a time to honor the first American president George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president and considered one of the best American leaders, is recognized by name in many state resolutions.

But not in Alabama.

The wounds of the Civil War remain in a state that has three Confederate holidays on its list of state holidays. Instead of mentioning Lincoln, the president who led the Union in defeating the South in the War Between the States, Alabama includes the name of the Thomas Jefferson, the third president in its official Presidents Day title.

History of Presidents Day

The idea of a day to honor Washington dates back to the 1870s when Sen. Steven Wallace Dorsey proposed adding his birthday – Feb. 22 – to the list of existing national holidays. President Rutherford B. Hayes signed the Washington holiday bill into law in 1879.

In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Bill which moved the day off Washington’s birthday to the third Monday in February.

After the Civil War, many Northern states included Lincoln, in their official celebrations. Lincoln’s birthday was Feb. 12.

On a federal level, however, the day is still officially known as Washington’s birthday. Generally the day is referred to as Presidents Day, honoring all the elected leaders of the U.S.

Alabama omits Lincoln

Alabama puts its own spin on the day, officially listing it as “George Washington, Thomas Jefferson’s Birthday.”

Jefferson, a Virginian, was the third U.S. president and principal author of the Declaration of Independence. The inclusion of Jefferson and omission of Lincoln seems a subtle snub at the Illinois Republican who led the Union during its war against the Alabama and the rest of the Confederacy.

The combination of Washington and Jefferson is odd for another reason – Jefferson’s birthday isn’t until April 13.

Alabama is the only state to combine Washington and Jefferson, though no state that was part of the Confederacy mentions Lincoln by name as part of its Presidents Day holiday.

South Carolina celebrates Washington’s Birthday/Presidents Day; Mississippi, Georgia and Virginia commemorate George Washington Day; no holiday is observed in Florida, North Carolina or Louisiana; and Texas and Tennessee have Presidents Day.

Arkansas also takes a unique approach to Presidents Day. Arkansas celebrates George Washington/Daisy Gaston Bates Day. An Arkansas native, Bates was a civil rights activists who played a central role in the integration of Little Rock’s Center High School in 1957.

Bates died in 1999. In 2001, the Arkansas legislature added her name to that of Washington’s on for the third Monday in February holiday.