Patriot Day is a United States national observance held annually on September 11th. The term, a proper noun, designates the day of remembrance for the 2,977 people killed in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. It is a day dedicated to honoring the victims, their families, and the first responders who acted during and after the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Established by a joint resolution of the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President George W. Bush on December 18, 2001, the observance is formally codified in U.S. law. By presidential proclamation, all U.S. flags are to be flown at half-staff on government buildings and individual homes as a mark of respect. The law also calls for a national moment of silence to be observed at 8:46 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, the moment the first plane struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center. In 2009, Congress further designated it as the National Day of Service and Remembrance, encouraging Americans to engage in charitable service as a tribute.
This observance should not be confused with Patriots' Day, a regional public holiday in Massachusetts and Maine celebrated on the third Monday in April. The April holiday commemorates the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first engagements of the American Revolutionary War. Therefore, "Patriot Day" in September is a solemn, modern federal observance of mourning and remembrance, distinct from the historical, celebratory state holiday in April.
