There
are many dates when mothers and motherhood are celebrated around
the world, and many of these date back to ancient times. Even
though modern worldwide Mother's Day observances arose out of
different traditions, many have borrowed from the Mother's Day
that was first celebrated in the United States. In the US, Mother's
Day celebrations were first proposed after the bloody Civil
War, to promote peace. In West Virginia in 1868, for example,
Ann Jarvis organized a "Mother's Friendship Day" to bring families
together after the war, and in 1870, Julia Ward Howe (who wrote
The Battle Hymn of the Republic) created a Mother's Day Proclamation
calling for a Mother's Day for Peace. Both of these efforts
saw local annual events for a few years, but the idea didn't
gain widespread attention until Ann Jarvis died. In 1908, her
daughter Anna Jarvis, organized a Mother's Day celebration to
honor her mother, and began campaigning to have it become a
national and international holiday to celebrate all mothers.
In 1914 Congress designated the 2nd Sunday in May as Mother's
Day, and President Wilson issued a Proclamation that year declaring
the first national observance of Mother's Day.
