Patriots' Day was officially named and established as a public holiday in Massachusetts in 1894. The proclamation was signed by Governor Frederic T. Greenhalge, who designated April 19 as the date of observance to commemorate the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775, the first armed conflicts of the American Revolutionary War.
The 1894 legislation replaced Fast Day, a traditional spring holiday of prayer and fasting with Puritan roots that had been observed in New England since the 17th century. The transition from a religious observance to a secular, patriotic holiday was intended to foster civic pride and honor the "high achievement of the revolutionary founders." While the holiday was initially set for the fixed date of April 19, Massachusetts later shifted its observance to the third Monday in April, beginning in 1969, to create a three-day weekend.
The act of naming the holiday institutionalized the commemoration of a pivotal event in American history. Its establishment has had a lasting cultural impact, most notably through its association with the Boston Marathon, which has been held on the holiday every year since 1897. Today, Patriots' Day is an official state holiday in Massachusetts and Maine, and a public school observance day in Wisconsin, serving as a regional tribute to the beginning of the nation's fight for independence.
