General Pulaski Memorial Day
General Pulaski Memorial Day | |
---|---|
Observed by | United States |
Type | National Holiday |
Date | October 11 |
Next time | October 11, 2024 (2024-10-11) |
Frequency | annual |
Related to | Casimir Pulaski Day |
General Pulaski Memorial Day is a United States public holiday in honor of General Kazimierz Pułaski (spelled Casimir Pulaski in English), a Polish hero of the American Revolution. This holiday is held every year on October 11 by Presidential Proclamation, to commemorate his death from wounds suffered at the siege of Savannah on October 9, 1779, and to honor the heritage of Polish Americans. The observance was established in 1929 when Congress passed a resolution (Public Resolution 16 of 1929) designating October 11 as General Pulaski Memorial Day. Every President has issued a proclamation for the observance annually since (except in 1930).
This is a separate holiday from the regional holiday in the Chicago area titled Casimir Pulaski Day that commemorates Pulaski's birth on March 4, 1746.
Regional celebrations
New York City has an annual Pulaski Day Parade and Grand Rapids, Michigan holds Pulaski Days at this time. Some areas with large Polish-American populations instead celebrate Casimir Pulaski Day on the first Monday of every March, marking Pulaski's March 4, 1746 birth. Wisconsin, Illinois, Kentucky and Indiana have state recognition of this holiday, which is particularly popular in Chicago and Milwaukee.
General Pulaski's Day is a holiday recognized by the Commonwealth of Kentucky, United States, "in commemoration of the death of revolutionary General Casimir Pulaski". General Pulaski's Day is observed on October 11 of every year in Kentucky. General Pulaski's Day was created by a statute enacted by the Kentucky General Assembly sometime prior to 1942.
History of the battle and Pulaski's role
The siege of Savannah was an encounter of the American Revolutionary War in 1779. The year before, the city of Savannah, Georgia had been captured by a British expeditionary corps under Lieutenant-Colonel Archibald Campbell. The siege itself consisted of a joint Franco-American attempt to retake Savannah from September 16, 1779, to October 18, 1779. On October 9, 1779, a major assault against the British siege works failed. During the attack, General Kazimierz Pułaski, leading the cavalry, was mortally wounded. With the failure of the joint American-French attack, the siege failed, and the British remained in control of Georgia until July 1782, close to the end of the war.
The battle is much remembered in Haitian history; the Fontages Legion, consisting of over 500 gens de couleur—free men of color from Saint-Domingue—fought on the French side. Henri Christophe, who later became king of independent Haiti, is thought to have been among these troops.
In 2005 archaeologists with the Coastal Heritage Society and the LAMAR Institute discovered portions of the British fortifications at Spring Hill. The brunt of the combined French and American attack on October 9, 1779, was focused at that point. The find represents the first tangible remains of the battlefield. In 2008 the CHS/LAMAR Institute archaeology team discovered another segment of the British fortifications in Madison Square.
Observances
President George W. Bush issued a presidential proclamation on October 10, 2002, observing the day.[1] President Barack Obama issued the observance on October 8, 2010.[2] On October 10, 2017, President Donald Trump proclaimed the day.[3][4][5]
References
- ^ Office of the Press Secretary (October 10, 2002). "General Pulaski Memorial Day, 2002". Federal Register. Washington, D.C.: Federal Government of the United States. Archived from the original on April 15, 2017. Retrieved April 15, 2017. Alt URL
- ^ Office of the Press Secretary (October 8, 2010). "The White House: Presidential Proclamation--General Pulaski Memorial Day". whitehouse.gov. Washington, D.C. Retrieved April 15, 2017 – via National Archives.
- ^ Office of the Press Secretary (October 6, 2017). "President Donald J. Trump Proclaims October 11, 2017, as the 88th anniversary of General Pulaski Memorial Day". whitehouse.gov. Washington, D.C.: White House. Archived from the original on October 11, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
- ^ "President Donald J. Trump Proclaims October 11, 2017, as the 88th anniversary of General Pulaski Memorial Day". World News Network. United States: World News Inc. October 11, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
- ^ "General Pulaski Memorial Day, 2017". Federal Register. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. October 6, 2017. Archived from the original on October 15, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2017. Alt URL
- v
- t
- e
- New Year's Day (federal)
- Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. (federal)
- Birthday of Eugenio María de Hostos (PR)
- Confederate Heroes Day (TX)
- Eve of Three Kings' Day (PR, religious)
- Feast of Epiphany / Feast of Theophany (religious)
- Fred Korematsu Day (AZ, CA, FL, HI, VA)
- Idaho Human Rights Day (ID)
- Inauguration Day (federal quadrennial)
- Kansas Day (KS)
- Makar Sankranti / Pongal (religious)
- Robert E. Lee Day (FL)
- Stephen Foster Memorial Day (36)
- The Eighth (LA)
- Three Kings' Day (PR, VI, religious)
- World Religion Day (religious)
- Chinese New Year / Lunar New Year (NY, cultural, religious)
- Vasant Panchami (religious)
American Heart Month
Black History Month
- Birthday of Luis Muñoz Marín (PR)
- Candlemas (religious)
- Charles Darwin Day / Darwin Day (CA, DE)
- Day of Remembrance (CA, OR, WA, cultural)
- Georgia Day (GA)
- Groundhog Day
- Imbolc (religious)
- Lincoln's Birthday (CA, CT, IL, IN, MO, NY, WV)
- National Girls and Women in Sports Day
- National Freedom Day (36)
- Nirvana Day (religious)
- Presentation of Our Lord to the Temple (religious)
- Promised Reformer Day (religious)
- Ronald Reagan Day (CA)
- Rosa Parks Day (CA, MO)
- Saviours' Day (religious)
- Susan B. Anthony Day (CA, FL, NY, WI, WV, proposed federal)
- Tu B’shvat (religious)
- Ash Wednesday (PR, religious)
- Carnival (PR, VI, religious)
- Clean Monday (religious)
- Courir de Mardi Gras (religious)
- Intercalary Days (religious)
- Mahashivaratri (religious)
- Purim (religious)
- Shrove Tuesday (religious)
- Super Tuesday
Irish-American Heritage Month
Colon Cancer Awareness Month
Women's History Month
- Annunciation of the Virgin Mary / Annunciation of the Theotokos (religious)
- Casimir Pulaski Day (IL)
- Cesar Chavez Day (CA, CO, TX, proposed federal)
- Emancipation Day in Puerto Rico (PR, cultural)
- Evacuation Day (Suffolk County, MA)
- Harriet Tubman Day (NY)
- Hola Mohalla (religious)
- Holi (NY, religious)
- L. Ron Hubbard's Birthday (religious)
- Lailat al-Mi'raj (religious)
- Liberation and Freedom Day (Charlottesville, VA, cultural)
- Mardi Gras (AL (in two counties), LA)
- Maryland Day (MD)
- Medal of Honor Day
- National Poison Prevention Week (week)
- Nowruz (cultural, religious)
- Ostara (religious)
- Pi Day
- Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole Day (HI)
- Promised Messiah Day (religious)
- Saint Joseph's Day (religious)
- Seward's Day (AK)
- Texas Independence Day (TX)
- Town Meeting Day (VT)
- Transfer Day (VI)
- Trans Day of Visibility (cultural)
- Good Friday (CT, NC, PR, NJ, VI, religious)
- Hanuman Jayanti (religious)
- Holy Thursday (PR, VI, religious)
- Holy Week (PR, religious, week)
- Lazarus Saturday (religious)
- Mahavir Janma Kalyanak (religious)
- Mesha Sankranti / Hindu New Year (religious)
- Palm Sunday (PR, religious)
- Passover (religious, week)
- Easter Monday / Bright Monday (VI, religious)
- Ramnavami (religious)
- Chandramana Uugadi / Souramana Uugadi (religious)
Arab American Heritage Month
Confederate History Month
Asian American and
Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Jewish American Heritage Month
Military Appreciation Month
- Memorial Day (federal)
- Mother's Day (36)
- Cinco de Mayo
- Ascension of Baháʼu'lláh (religious)
- Ascension of Our Lord (religious)
- Caliphate Day (religious)
- Declaration of the Bab (religious)
- Harvey Milk Day (CA)
- International Workers' Day / May Day (CA, unofficial, proposed state)
- Law Day (36)
- Loyalty Day (36)
- Malcolm X Day (CA, IL, proposed federal)
- Military Spouse Day
- National Day of Prayer (36)
- National Day of Reason
- National Defense Transportation Day (36)
- National Maritime Day (36)
- Peace Officers Memorial Day (36)
- Pentecost (religious)
- Shavuot (religious)
- Truman Day (MO)
- Vesak / Buddha's Birthday (religious)
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and
Transgender Pride Month
- Bunker Hill Day (Suffolk County, MA)
- Carolina Day (SC)
- Don Young Day (AK)
- Fast of the Holy Apostles (religious)
- Flag Day (36, proposed federal)
- Helen Keller Day (PA)
- Honor America Days (3 weeks)
- Jefferson Davis Day (AL, FL)
- Kamehameha Day (HI)
- Litha (religious)
- Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev Sahib (religious)
- Odunde Festival (Philadelphia, PA, cultural)
- Senior Week (week)
- Saint John's Day (PR, religious)
- West Virginia Day (WV)
- Asalha Puja Day (religious)
- Birthday of Don Luis Muñoz Rivera (PR)
- Birthday of Dr. José Celso Barbosa (PR)
- Emancipation Day in the U.S. Virgin Islands (VI, cultural)
- Guru Purnima (religious)
- Khordad Sal (religious)
- Lā Hoʻihoʻi Ea (HI, unofficial, cultural)
- Martyrdom of the Báb (religious)
- Parents' Day (36)
- Pioneer Day (UT)
- Puerto Rico Constitution Day (PR)
- Tisha B'Av (religious)
Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
- Labor Day (federal)
- Brazilian Day (NY, cultural)
- California Admission Day (CA)
- Carl Garner Federal Lands Cleanup Day (36)
- Constitution Day (36)
- Constitution Week
- Defenders Day (MD)
- Elevation of the Holy Cross (religious)
- Feast of San Gennaro (NY, cultural, religious)
- Ganesh Chaturthi (religious)
- Gold Star Mother's Day (36)
- His Holiness Sakya Trizin's Birthday (religious)
- Mabon (religious)
- National Grandparents Day (36)
- National Payroll Week (week)
- Nativity of Mary / Nativity of the Theotokos (religious)
- Native American Day (proposed federal)
- Patriot Day (36)
- Von Steuben Day
Hispanic Heritage Month
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Disability Employment Awareness Month
Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month
Filipino American History Month
LGBT History Month
- Columbus Day (federal)
- Halloween
- Alaska Day (AK)
- Child Health Day (36)
- General Pulaski Memorial Day
- German-American Day
- Indigenous Peoples' Day
- International Day of Non-Violence
- Leif Erikson Day (36)
- Missouri Day (MO)
- Nanomonestotse (cultural)
- National School Lunch Week (week)
- Native American Day in South Dakota (SD)
- Nevada Day (NV)
- Spirit Day (cultural)
- Sweetest Day
- Sukkot / Feast of Tabernacles (religious, week)
- Virgin Islands–Puerto Rico Friendship Day (PR, VI)
- White Cane Safety Day (36)
Native American Indian Heritage Month
- Veterans Day (federal)
- Thanksgiving (federal)
- Ascension of ‘Abdu’l Baha (religious)
- All Saints' Day (religious)
- Beginning of the Nativity Fast (religious)
- Beltane / Samhain (religious)
- Barack Obama Day in Alabama (Perry County, AL)
- D. Hamilton Jackson Day (VI)
- Day after Thanksgiving (24)
- Day of the Covenant (religious)
- Discovery of Puerto Rico Day (PR)
- Election Day (CA, DE, HI, KY, MT, NJ, NY, OH, PR, VA, WV, proposed federal)
- Family Day (NV)
- Guru Nanak Gurpurab (religious)
- Hanukkah (religious)
- Lā Kūʻokoʻa (HI, unofficial, cultural)
- Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur (religious)
- Native American Heritage Day (MD, WA, cultural)
- Presentation of the Theotokos to the Temple (religious)
- Trans Day of Remembrance (cultural)
- Unthanksgiving Day (cultural)
- Advent Sunday (religious)
- Alabama Day (AL)
- Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib (religious)
- Bodhi Day (religious)
- Chalica (religious)
- Christmas Eve (KY, NC, SC, PR, VI)
- Day after Christmas (KY, NC, SC, TX, VI)
- Festivus
- HumanLight
- Hanukkah (religious, week)
- Immaculate Conception (religious)
- Indiana Day (IN)
- Kwanzaa (cultural, week)
- Milad Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin (religious)
- National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day (36)
- Nativity of Jesus (religious)
- Old Year's Night (VI)
- Pan American Aviation Day (36)
- Pancha Ganapati (religious, week)
- Rosa Parks Day (OH, OR)
- Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (religious)
- Wright Brothers Day (36)
- Yule (religious)
- Zartosht No-Diso (religious)
(federal) = federal holidays, (abbreviation) = state/territorial holidays, (religious) = religious holidays, (cultural) = holiday related to a specific racial/ethnic group or sexual minority, (week) = week-long holidays, (month) = month-long holidays, (36) = Title 36 Observances and Ceremonies