George Washington was commander in Chief of the army that won American independence from England in the Revolutionary War. He was also president of the convention that wrote the United States Constitution and he was unanimously voted the first President of the United States. At first, people wanted to call him “Your Highness,” but he said, “Call me Mr. President,” and that’s what Presidents have been called ever since.

One week after Abraham Lincoln became our 16th President in 1861, the southern states formed the confederacy and the Civil War began. The Civil War ended four years later on April 9, 1865. Five days after that, on April 14, 1865, after Lincoln had freed millions of slaves, he was assassinated. Lincoln’s life was one of many challenges, but he showed great determination in keeping our country together.

The first verse of We Salute the Presidents honors two great men in American history, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. A February national holiday was established to honor these men whose birthdays were both in February: Lincoln – February 12th, and Washington – February 22nd.

The second verse of We Salute the Presidents honors all the Presidents who have served our country.
The Presidents have the role of not only
(1) Chief Executive and
(2) Commander in Chief of the nation’s armed services,
but also that of
(3) Popular Leader.

As the lyrics of this song explain, Presidents give words of hope and encouragement to all Americans at all times. We should always be grateful for their dedication in serving our country.

Listen to a sample of We Salute the Presidents in the audio player, below. (The instrumental sing-along version is also included.)

     The third Monday of January was made a national holiday by
President Ronald Reagan in 1983 to honor Dr. Martin Luther King.
That day is around the time of King’s actual birthday, January 15th.

     Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was a black American minister who was the main leader ofthe civil rights movement in the United States during the 1950’s and 1960’s. He was a wonderful speaker
and was able to express well the demands of black Americans for justice.
He had a dream that our nation would rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed that all men are created equal.

     A speech he gave on August 28, 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. called “I Have a Dream” was especially memorable. In it, he proclaimed, “Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the slopes of California. Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia. Let freedom ring from the Lookout Mountain of Tennessee…From every mountainside, let freedom ring!”

     He continued to say that when we allow freedom to ring from every village and every city, all of God’s children, no matter what color, will be able to join hands and sing the words of an old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!” These words are immortalized on his tombstone with one slight change. At the end it says, “I’m free at last!”

Listen to a sample of Dr. Martin Luther King.