US Postal Service

[Omaha Steve]

11. National Federal Holiday set by US Congress 1870's

http://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/Federal_Holidays.pdf

Federal Holidays: Evolution and Application
Summary

By law, Congress has established 11 permanent federal holidays. Although
frequently called “national holidays,” these patriotic celebrations are only applicable
to federal employees and the District of Columbia, the states individually decide their
own legal holidays.

Congress, in several instances, created federal holidays after a sizable number
of states had taken such action. In others, Congress took the lead. Each action
emphasizes particular aspects of the American heritage that molded the United States
as a people and a nation.

The first five congressionally designated federal holidays were New Year’s
Day, George Washington’s Birthday, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day, and
Christmas Day. Approved in the 1870s, they were applicable only to federal
employees in the District of Columbia. In 1885, Congress began to exten

FULL story at link.