Visit the State Library through March 4 to see a “Proclamation on the Death of George Washington,” which was issued by President John Adams in 1800. In the wake of Washington’s death on December 14, 1799, this proclamation established February 22, Washington’s birthday, as a National Day of Mourning.George Washington’s death meant that the relatively new country was faced with mourning its first president. Congress adjourned as soon as they received word of his death, and throughout the country bells tolled and memorial processions were organized. The funeral at Mount Vernon was a private affair for family and friends, but the country was saddened by the news and began a sixty-nine day period of public mourning that ended on Washington’s birthday.
In 1789, shortly after being sworn in as president, George Washington visited Massachusetts for a ten-day tour of the state that spanned from Springfield to Newburyport with many stops in between. Near the end of his trip, Washington spent three days in Boston, where he was met with great fanfare and celebration. There was a large procession through the city that ended at the State House (what is now the Old State House, as the current State House was not built until 1798), and next to it was a temporary triumphal arch constructed by Charles Bulfinch in Washington’s honor. It was in this spot that Washington greeted the cheering crowd of Bostonians. One decade later, Massachusetts again commemorated Washington but with a much more solemn tone, as shown through the displayed proclamation. It is divided in two sections – the first part is issued by President Adams and states, “that it be recommended to the people of the United States to assemble on the twenty-second day of February next, in such numbers and manner, as may be convenient, publicly to testify their grief for the death of George Washington, by suitable eulogies, orations, and discourses, or by public prayer.” Using these general guidelines, each state then set their own specific memorials, stated in the resolutions in the second part of the proclamation. These were issued by Samuel Phillips, President of the Massachusetts Senate, Edward H. Robbins, Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, and Moses Gill, Lieutenant Governor. These resolutions call for orations at Old South Meeting House and a worship service at Brattle Church. It was also requested that similar services be held throughout the Commonwealth so citizens could join together on this mournful occasion. In both the national and the state resolutions, one theme remains consistent – that citizens gather together to acknowledge their shared grief within their community. Washington’s death was one of the first instances in early American history where citizens from various backgrounds came together and experienced a shared sense of national unity, through a universal feeling of sorrow.
220 years after President Adams established February 22 as a National Day of Mourning we still mark Washington’s birthday, or Presidents’ Day, on the third Monday of February. The holiday has evolved and is now seen as a time to honor all who have served as president. The Library will be closed in observance of that federal holiday on February 17, but visit us any other weekday this month to view this proclamation in person.
By Elizabeth Roscio
Preservation Librarian
