Declared It A Legal Holiday
The first state to recognize Christmas as a legal holiday was Alabama in 1836.
Alabama declared Christmas a legal holiday in 1836.
Alabama I received this from the Alabama State Archives: Actually, there is no such thing. Alabama as the "first state to declare Christmas a holiday" is a story that gets resurrected every year (yours is the third request for background this year), but has no basis in fact. Three generations of archivists (including myself) have searched in vain for any sort of evidence that the claim is true. The legislature, in 1848, did make Christmas a bank holiday, to wit: "Paper due on Christmas, fourth of July, and first of January, to be paid the previous day." That appears as section 1836 of the 1852 Code of Alabama, so maybe that is where the story began. The legislature did not declare Christmas a state holiday until February 1883.
The European history of Alabama dates back to Spanish explorers in 1519. With that said, it's clear that the state has histories that can fill volumes of information. Certainly Alabama's history with regards to the US Civil War is important. It became in the antebellum days a heavily populated slave plantation state. It sought to retain its social and economic status by joining the Confederacy. Battles in the Civil War were fought in Alabama and its City of Mobile became an important Southern port and ship building facility.Happily slavery was eliminated, however, the state has racial issues to deal with in modern times.
Arkansas was admitted to the Union on June 15, 1836 and was the 25th state.
Alabama was the first to recognize Christmas in 1836.
Alabama in 1836
Alabama in 1836
Alabama in 1836
The first state to recognize Christmas as a legal holiday was Alabama in 1836.
Alabama in 1836. Oklahoma was the last state to do so in 1907. Alabama was the first state to recognize Christmas as an official holiday, in 1836.Three different answers I have found. PennselvaniaWell this is two for me. I read that it was Alabama.Alabama in 1836:)
Alabama was the first state to declare Christmas a legal holiday in 1836
Alabama declared Christmas a legal holiday in 1836.
Alabama I received this from the Alabama State Archives: Actually, there is no such thing. Alabama as the "first state to declare Christmas a holiday" is a story that gets resurrected every year (yours is the third request for background this year), but has no basis in fact. Three generations of archivists (including myself) have searched in vain for any sort of evidence that the claim is true. The legislature, in 1848, did make Christmas a bank holiday, to wit: "Paper due on Christmas, fourth of July, and first of January, to be paid the previous day." That appears as section 1836 of the 1852 Code of Alabama, so maybe that is where the story began. The legislature did not declare Christmas a state holiday until February 1883.
Alabama was the first American state to declare Christmas an official holiday. By 1890 other states also followed suit. Christmas is the only religious holiday in America, which is also a national legal holiday.
Oklahoma declared Christmas a legal holiday in 1907. It was the last state in the United States to do so. Alabama was the first state to declare this day a legal holiday in 1836.
Texas became a state in 1836.