Kara Sears
The campaign for a federal holiday in Martin Luther King Jr.'s honour began soon after his assassination in 1968. However, it took 15 years of persistence by civil rights activists for the holiday to be approved by the federal government. On November 2, 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed the King Holiday Bill into law, designating the third Monday in January a federal holiday in observance of the civil rights leader. The first observance of the holiday was on January 20, 1986.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of signing the law | November 2, 1983 |
| President who signed the law | Ronald Reagan |
| Date of first observance | January 20, 1986 |
| Number of signatures collected for the petition to Congress to pass the law | Six million |
| Year of introduction of the first bill | 1968 |
| Number of years between the introduction of the first bill and the signing of the law | 15 |
| Number of years between the signing of the law and its recognition in all 50 states | 17 |
| Year of signing of the King Holiday and Service Act into law | 1994 |
| President who signed the King Holiday and Service Act into law | Bill Clinton |
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What You'll Learn
President Reagan signs the MLK Holiday Bill into law in 1983
The campaign for a federal holiday in Martin Luther King Jr.'s honour began soon after his assassination in 1968. On November 2, 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed the MLK Holiday Bill into law, creating Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The road to the federal legislation was long and bumpy. The bill was first introduced just four days after King's assassination on April 4, 1968, by Democratic Michigan Congressman John Conyers, who received approval from Coretta Scott King. However, the bill failed to garner enough support and was reintroduced every year with the support of the Congressional Black Caucus.
In 1979, on the 50th anniversary of King's birth, the bill came to a vote in the House but failed to pass. Despite this, public support for the bill continued to grow, encouraged by musician Stevie Wonder, whose 1980 album "Hotter Than July" featured the song "Happy Birthday", an ode to King's vision.
In 1983, fifteen years after King's murder, the bill was reintroduced with a petition of six million signatures in its favour. The bill passed in the House with a vote of 338 to 90. However, when the bill moved to the Senate, Republican North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms attempted to dismiss the legislation by submitting a 300-page document alleging that King had ties to the communist party. Despite the opposition, the bill passed in the Senate with a vote of 78 to 22, and President Reagan reluctantly agreed to sign it into law.
The first observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day was on January 20, 1986, nearly two decades after King's assassination. It was not until 2000 that New Hampshire became the last state to observe its own MLK Day.
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The bill's journey through Congress
The bill to make Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday a legal public holiday was introduced in the House on July 29, 1983. It was called H.R.3706 and was a bill to amend title 5, United States Code. The bill was discharged by the House Committee on Post Office and Civil Service on August 2, 1983, and passed the House by a vote of 338-90.
The bill then moved to the Senate, where it was opposed by Republican North Carolina Senators Jesse Helms and John Porter East. Helms led a filibuster and submitted a 300-page document alleging that King had associations with communists. On October 19, 1983, the bill passed the Senate without amendment by a vote of 78-22.
The bill was then presented to President Ronald Reagan, who initially opposed the establishment of the holiday. However, after overwhelming support in the House and a two-day debate in the Senate, Reagan agreed to sign the bill into law on November 2, 1983.
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Opposition to the bill
Despite the national fervour inspired by King's death, the bill to create a holiday in his honour faced years of opposition and limited congressional support. Senators Jesse Helms and John Porter East, both North Carolina Republicans, led the opposition to the bill. Helms criticised King's opposition to the Vietnam War and accused him of espousing "action-oriented Marxism". Helms also led a filibuster against the bill and submitted a 300-page document to the Senate alleging that King had associations with communists.
The bill faced opposition in the Senate, where concerns were raised about the cost of granting federal workers another holiday. There was also debate about whether King was important enough to receive such an honour, and whether the passage of the bill would elevate him to the status of a founding father, such as George Washington.
In 1979, a bill sponsored by John Conyers was narrowly defeated by five votes. In 1983, the bill was reintroduced and passed in the House with a vote of 338 to 90. However, the bill faced opposition in the Senate once again, with Helms leading the charge. Despite the opposition, the bill ultimately passed in the Senate, and President Ronald Reagan signed it into law in 1983.
Even after the bill was signed into law, not every US state chose to observe the January holiday at the state level until 1991. New Hampshire became the last state to name a holiday after King, which they first celebrated in January 2000. In Arizona, Governor Bruce Babbitt, a Democrat, created a paid state MLK holiday in 1986, but his Republican successor Evan Mecham reversed this decision in 1987.
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The bill's amendments
The bill to create a federal holiday commemorating Martin Luther King Jr. was first introduced on April 8, 1968, just four days after his assassination. However, it faced numerous obstacles and amendments over the years before it was finally signed into law in 1983.
One of the earliest proponents of the bill was Democratic Michigan Congressman John Conyers, who first proposed the legislation in 1968. The bill, known as HR 16510, aimed to make King's birthday a "legal public holiday." Despite Conyers' efforts, the bill initially lacked congressional support and did not advance beyond the Committee on the Judiciary.
Year after year, Conyers and other sponsors reintroduced the legislation, but it was not until 1979, during the administration of President Jimmy Carter, that the bill gained momentum. Carter threw his support behind the MLK holiday, and on December 5, 1979, the House passed a resolution to consider legislation (HR 5461) establishing a holiday on the third Monday in January. Despite this progress, the bill did not pass the House at that time.
In the following years, public support for the holiday grew, with figures like musician Stevie Wonder and Congressman Coretta Scott King adding their voices to the campaign. Finally, in 1983, the bill was discharged from the House Committee on Post Office and Civil Service and passed the House with a vote of 338-90. The bill then moved to the Senate, where it faced significant opposition from Republican Senators Jesse Helms and John Porter East, who questioned King's importance and alleged communist ties.
During the Senate debate, Senator Helms submitted a 300-page document attempting to discredit King, which was denounced by Democratic Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan as a "packet of filth." Despite the opposition, the bill ultimately passed in the Senate, and on November 2, 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed it into law, establishing the third Monday in January as a federal holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr.
Even after the federal law was enacted, the movement to recognize the holiday at the state level continued, with some states resisting its observance. It was not until 2000 that New Hampshire became the last state to observe its own MLK Day, marking a significant milestone in the long journey toward nationwide recognition of this holiday honoring a pivotal figure in the Civil Rights Movement.
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The bill's enactment and first observance
The campaign for a federal holiday in Martin Luther King Jr.'s honour began soon after his assassination in 1968. On April 8, 1968, just four days after his death, Democratic Michigan Congressman John Conyers introduced a bill to make King's birthday a "legal public holiday". However, the bill failed to garner enough support and was not passed.
Conyers persevered, introducing legislation in every legislative session from 1968 to 1983. In 1979, on the 50th anniversary of King's birth, the bill finally came to a vote in the House but did not pass, despite the support of President Jimmy Carter and a petition of 300,000 signatures.
In 1983, fifteen years after King's murder, the bill was reintroduced with overwhelming support. Coretta Scott King, the Congressional Black Caucus, and musician Stevie Wonder amassed six million signatures on a petition in favour of the holiday. This time, the bill passed in the House with a vote of 338 to 90.
However, when the bill moved to the Senate, Republican North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms attempted to block it by submitting a 300-400-page document alleging that King had ties to the communist party. After two days of debate, the Senate rejected Helms's attempt to kill the vote and approved the bill by a vote of 78 to 22 on October 19, 1983.
On November 2, 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed the King Holiday Bill into law, designating the third Monday in January as a federal holiday in observance of King's life and work in the civil rights movement. Despite his reluctance to support a paid national holiday, Reagan acknowledged the importance of honouring King's legacy.
The first observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day took place on January 20, 1986, nearly two decades after King's assassination. While it was recognised federally, it took until 1999 for all 50 states to officially adopt the holiday, with New Hampshire becoming the last state to do so.
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Frequently asked questions
President Ronald Reagan signed the law creating Martin Luther King Jr. Day on November 2, 1983.
MLK Day is a federal holiday in the United States observed on the third Monday of January each year to commemorate the life and work of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
MLK Day was first observed on January 20, 1986, nearly two decades after Dr. King's assassination in April 1968.
Yes, there was opposition to the creation of MLK Day. Republican North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms attempted to block the legislation by alleging that Martin Luther King Jr. had associations with communists.
