A Short HIstory of Mother's Day in the USA

Mother's Day in the US begins after the Civil War as a protest against War in general. The "official" unofficial begins with Julia Ward Howe's "Mother's Day Proclamation" (1870).

Arise, then, women of this day! Arise, all women who have hearts, whether your baptism be that of water or tears!

Say firmly: "We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies. Our husbands shall not come to us, reeking with carnage, for caresses and applause. Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have taught them of charity, mercy and patience. We women of one country will be too tender of those of another to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."

From the bosom of the devastated earth, a voice goes up with our own. It says, "Disarm, Disarm!"

The sword of murder is not the balance of justice. Blood not wipe out dishonor, nor violence indicate possession. As men have often forsaken the plow and the anvil at the summons of war, let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of counsel. Let them meet first, as women, to bewail & commemorate the dead. Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means whereby the great human family can live in peace, each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesars but of God.

In the name of womanhood and of humanity, I earnestly ask that a general congress of women without limit of nationality may be appointed and held at some place deemed most convenient and at the earliest period consistent with its objects, to promote the alliance of the different nationalities, the amicable settlement of international questions, the great and general interests of peace.

Like most good social protests, the establishment stole the symbol of Mother's Day. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the first official Mother's Day as a day "for American citizens to show the flag in honor of those mothers whose sons had died in war," which seems to counter the original purpose as this legitimizes war.

And now for something completely different:
Yesterday, the House attempted to pass a resolution to celebrate Mothers. This occurs all of the time at the state and federal level. For example, Sue Myrick honored The Nature Boy Rick Flair; Congress honored Islam; Congress honored the Discovery astronauts; Congress honored Mary Eliza Mahoney, America's first African-American Nurse. Usually, this is quick, feel-good legislative work that makes constituents feel better.

Yet, every once in a while, the minority party does something stupid like block one of these ceremonial pieces of legislation to ensure another goal. Since the Republicans delayed the vote on the ceremonial legislation there was not time to debate and discuss the mortgage relief and the war funding bills. This means that Republicans voted against Mothers to delay economic relief for the poor and middle class and to perpetuate the war. Good move!!! And they will be rewarded in the fall.