The United States currently recognizes eleven federal holidays: Independence Day (1870), Washington’s Birthday (aka Presidents’ Day) (1879), Christmas (1885), New Year’s (1885), Labor Day (1894), Veterans Day (1926), Columbus Day (1937), Thanksgiving (1941), Memorial Day (1967), MLK Jr Day (1983), and Juneteenth (2021).
In so doing, the government implicitly endorses some ideas over others, so national holidays are a form of thought control. Christmas endorses Christianity; Presidents’ Day elevates a particular president; Labor Day honors the work of labor movements; Columbus Day celebrates his contribution to US history. These holidays raise many questions: Why Martin Luther King but not other influential Civil Rights leaders? Why George Washington but not Ronald Reagan? Why two days for those who served in the armed forces but none that recognize other public servants? Should Columbus Day instead be Indigenous’ Peoples’ Day? If the government recognizes no holidays, it avoids these issues altogether.
Some of these endorsements do not seem controversial at first glance, but the potential for controversy is still there. Thanksgiving seems like an irreproachable day of family, food, and gratitude, yet it arguably celebrates a false narrative about the interactions between early settlers and Native Americans.
A different argument for government holidays is that they help coordinate the consumption of leisure time. But this is unconvincing; most jobs allow choice of vacation days, so individuals can coordinate with others on their own. Further, mandated coordination generates large congestion costs.
The right number of federal holidays is zero.
This article appeared on Substack on December 13, 2024. Amelia Heller, a student at Harvard College, co-wrote this post.