Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day for May 7, 2021
The Number of the Day columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
May 7, 2021: In 1908—113 years ago—West Virginia became the first state to celebrate Mother’s Day. By 1914, it was observed as a holiday in all U.S. states. This year, Americans are expected to spend $28 billion to celebrate the holiday.[1][2]
The origins of Mother’s Day came about in what many today would consider an unusual way. In 1908, Congress actually voted against making Mother’s Day a national holiday.[3]
That happened after a West Virginia woman named Anna Jarvis began pushing for a Mother’s Day holiday in 1905 (the year her own mother died). In 1908, she put on a memorial for her mother at St. Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia, which is now home to the International Mother’s Day Shrine.[1]
When Congress rejected the holiday, Jarvis went to the states. West Virginia became the first to celebrate Mother’s Day, and by 1912, many states were celebrating the observance. President Woodrow Wilson decided it was better late than never for the federal government to catch up, finally declaring Mother’s Day a national holiday in 1914.[1]
Jarvis had envisioned Mother’s Day as a day to celebrate and continue the charity work her mother had done. Among other things, her mother had tended to the wounded on both sides during the Civil War.[1]
Jarvis herself later became discouraged by the commercialization of the celebration.[1]
Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology.
- May 6, 2021 -33 percent of voters following CDC guidance very closely
- May 5, 2021 -36 percent of voters are aware of drop in COVID-19 cases since vaccine rollout
- May 4, 2021 -50 percent of voters believe worst of the pandemic is behind us
- May 3, 2021 -32 percent of media coverage about President Biden has been negative
- April 30, 2021 -66 House seats have left Northeast and Midwest since 1960
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Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
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See also
- Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day
- West Virginia
- Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day for May 12, 2017
- Woodrow Wilson
Footnotes
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