The History of Mothers Day
Mother’s Day got its start as a war protest when Julia Ward Howe established a “Mother’s Day for Peace” on June 2, 1872. Her intent was to celebrate the peaceful contributions of mothers and to draw attention to the cause of suffragists. Her proclamation defined the holiday until early in the 20th century – about the same time that the 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote.
An additional female who contributed substantively to our nation by rallying other women to the cause of improving their neighborhoods was Ann Reeves Jarvis. Once she had died, her child Anna started lobbying for establishment of a countrywide celebration in honor of mothers. This was agreed to by President Wilson in the year 1914. Ever since that time, we have had an annual celebration on the 2nd Sunday in the month of May.
Jarvis, who never became a mother herself, did not intend for Mother’s Day to be a commercial affair. She favored sentiment to commercialism. As the holiday became more and more associated with gift giving, she began to speak out against the practice. Many people would send flowers to their mothers as they do today. Even this did not sit well with Jarvis. She spent the rest of her life reminding people that the holiday was about the sentiments that should be given to mothers, and not the gifts.
In this diverse world of today, many people live too far away to easily visit Mom. Numerous people celebrate Mother’s Day by honoring Mom with cards, flowers or plants. Buying flowers with special meaning is a common reason for selections along with choosing the blooms mom loves best.
Finding Mother’s Day gifts is an enjoyable activity for children. Fathers can enjoy it too, as it provides an opportunity to spend more time with their children. Common gifts are clothing, flowers, jewelry, books and collectibles.
Jarvis may not have intended the Mother’s Day holiday to be filled with gift giving and special parties. She had wished for a special day be made to honor mothers. With that intention, she was very successful, as people all over the world give admiration to their moms.
