In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill that designated the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day, a holiday that was intended to celebrate “the best mother in the world, your mother.” Although he made it a federally recognized occasion, the 28th president didn’t come up with the idea for the holiday himself—that honor lies primarily with Ann Reeves Jarvis and her daughter, Anna M. Jarvis.
During the Civil War in the mid-19th century, Ann Reeves Jarvis, an Appalachian homemaker, started several mothering groups aimed at teaching women how to raise a family and encourage their children to find peace with one another.
Following her mother’s death in 1905, Anna M. Jarvis began campaigning for a day to honor not only the impact her mother had on the local community, but also the impact mothers have on society at large. Following her…
