The History of Mother’s Day
With Mother’s Day coming this Sunday, May 12, it will mark 99 years since President Woodrow Wilson signed a joint resolution designating the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day. The idea of Mother’s Day in the United States, goes back even further to 1904 and Anna Jarvis, who is considered the founder of Mother’s Day.
Anna, who never married and never had children of her of own, was the inspiration for the day because she wanted to celebrate her own mother. Jarvis’ mother died in 1905 during her childhood, and it was her mother’s idea to have a day to celebrate all mother’s living and dead. Anna Jarvis stated celebrating her mother by sending carnations (her mom’s favorite) to her church in West Virginia. From there, Jarvis, a social worker, began to send letters to people in powerful positions to have a day designated for mothers. By 1911, almost every state in the country had a Mother’s Day celebration, and in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson made it official.
More From B98.5
