ALT-2 History of Fathers Day
Often coming a second best when it comes to honoring our parents, just like moms, dads need a special day that is dedicated to thanking them for their input in our lives.
Celebrated all over the world in June is a day put aside to appreciate the fathers in our lives. It's not just for the one who contributed to our existence, but a day that honors all males that we respect and have had an impact on our lives. It is for dads, granddads, older males who we may look upon as a father figure, including step dads.
There existed a day to honor moms but not dads. And this is how the tradition of celebrating Father's Day began in 1909. A young lady by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd was attending a Mothers Day sermon that was being held in honor of moms all over the world. Considering she and her five siblings had been raised by their father, William Jackson Smart after his wife had died during childbirth, she identified that father's needed a day devoted especially for them.
Angered by the sermon and driven to establish a day for dads, Sonora began her campaign to have a day dedicated to fathers all around the world. She had watched her own father toil and sacrifice many things in order to raise his family. Remembering his courage she drew on this to fulfill her desire to establish a day for fathers.
Sonora approached the ministerial alliance in her town to establish a day dedicated to fathers. She first suggested June 5th which was the day of her own fathers birthday, but this date was thought to be difficult in regards to the church calendar and was made the third Sunday in June. Liking the idea the ministers and Sonora advertised the day by placing an advertisement in the local paper and by approaching local stores to advertise gifts for Father's Day.
On June 19th, 1910 the first Father's day was honored. Men wore red roses to church in honor of a living father and white rose was worn to honor those who were deceased.
Hearing about the day, national newspapers soon became interested in the idea of Father's day. Many people didn't like the idea at first and would have preferred fathers to be honored by establishing a national fishing day. Congress refused to recognize the day as they thought it would lead to over-commercialization.
Showing dedication and courage, Sonora continued to bombard congress with letters and gathered many supporters along the way including President Calvin Coolidge. But still the day was recognized to be as important as Mothers Day.
Four decades later in 1966, Sonora and her supporters' dedicated hard work finally paid off. President Lyndon Johnson signed a proclamation that recognized an annual day assigned to honoring fathers on the third Sunday in June each year.
Since then the day is held all over the world to celebrate and honor fathers, grandfathers and all other men who contributed to raising us to be the people who we are.
