Ready to celebrate United States national holidays in Summer 2023?
US national holidays come one right after the other in the summer months. They even bookend the summer. Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer in the United States, while Labor Day marks its unofficial end.
Of the twelve US national holidays recognized by federal law, four (plus one bonus that the President declares every year) fall in the summertime.
On this list, you’ll find everything from children’s picture books to formal scholarship all about the United States national holidays that fall in summer.
Scroll on through to find something to make your observance of America’s national holidays more meaningful this summer. Or if you’re outside the US, enjoy learning about another culture’s national holidays.
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Summer United States National Holidays in 2023
Memorial Day (Monday, May 29, 2023)
Memorial Day is observed the last Monday in May. This is called a “floating Monday” holiday. This year it’s May 29, 2023.
A legacy of the American Civil War (1861-1865), Memorial Day commemorates those who have died serving in the US Armed Forces.
Death on the scale of the American Civil War is not something Americans have seen before or since. Every few years, historians come out with a new, higher number as new records come to light and new technologies improve our ability to quantify.
“The number of soldiers who died between 1861 and 1865, an estimated 620,000, is approximately equal to the total American fatalities in the Revolution, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, and the Korean War combined. The Civil War’s rate of death, its incidence in comparison with the size of the American population, was six times that of World War II. A similar rate, about 2 percent, in the United States today would mean six million fatalities.”
Drew Gilpin Faust. This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War. (New York: Vintage Books, 2008), xi.
Books for Memorial Day
Drew Gilpin Faust’s This Republic of Suffering is the place to go if you want to understand what the American Civil War meant in terms of widespread loss and even wider spread grief.
The living were left to cope with and make meaning of mass casualties. One way they did that was through “Decoration Days,” days set aside to decorate the graves of the war dead. These were local celebrations at first. They arose more or less spontaneously in different parts of the country in the post-war years.
These springtime memorials were linked to the availability of freshly blooming flowers. You can trace the arrival of spring from south to north in the dates that local communities observed Decoration Day.
One of the earlier instances of this is the event in Charleston, South Carolina, on May 1, 1865. Newly emancipated African Americans decorated the graves of the Union dead.
Whether or not this event earns the title “the First Memorial Day,” is contentious among historians as it involves questions about how we define Memorial Day. Either way, it’s an important part of the development of the holiday.
Decoration Day was first widely observed on May 30, 1868 by the Grand Army of the Republic, a Union veterans’ organization. It slowly became adopted in various municipalities and states at various spring dates.
Decoration Day became a US federal holiday in the District of Columbia in 1888, when the date was set for May 30. Following World War I, Memorial Day gradually expanded to honor all the dead of the US Armed Forces.
Flag Day (Wednesday, June 14, 2023)
This is the bonus. It’s not an official US legal holiday, except in *this* state. (Scroll down to the end of the post for the answer. Prepare to amaze your friends and win trivia contests!)
However, the President traditionally declares its observance every year on June 14.
Flag Day commemorates the June 14, 1777 adoption of the United States flag by the 2nd Continental Congress.
“Resolved, that the Flag of the thirteen United States shall be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the Union be thirteen stars, white on a blue field, representing a new constellation.“
Second Continental Congress. June 14, 1777. Journals of the Continental Congress, 464.
Like many other national symbols, the United States flag comes in for its share of mythmaking. The most famous is the legend of George Washington commissioning a flag from Betsy Ross.
These books will help you get past the myths and the emotions to the history of the United States flag.
Books for Flag Day
Flag: An American Biography is a comprehensive history of the flag from the beginning of the United States until today, if you want to know more than you ever knew you wanted to know.
Whether or not she created the first flag, this first scholarly biography of Betsy Ross does for this legendary figure of the Revolution what Flag does for the flag itself. This is an important contribution to women’s history and labor history (so it could count for Labor Day too!).
If you’re curious to learn more without devoting yourself to hundreds of pages, I highly recommend finding a good children’s book like this one.
Juneteenth National Independence Day (Monday, June 19, 2023)
It happens to fall on a Monday this year, but Juneteenth is observed on June 19, no matter the day of the week.
Juneteenth is the newest of the US national holidays, established in 2021. However, Juneteenth had been celebrated in African American communities for many years.
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, the date Union Major General Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3, informing formerly enslaved people in Texas that the Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863 was in effect.
(Side note: The Emancipation Proclamation effectively established abolition as a Union war goal and had significant mental and emotional value. However, it had little practical effect on the lives of many enslaved people as it only declared free those in states in rebellion. Until Union troops established authority in those areas, the United States government had little practical ability to enforce it. Therefore, June 19, 1865 is a more accurate date for the end of chattel slavery in the United States than January 1, 1863. Even so, the 13th Amendment was not ratified until December 1865. The end of chattel slavery is a moving target in American history.)
Books for Juneteenth
On Juneteenth by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Annette Gordon-Reed is a combination history/memoir/family story (and an attempt by a Texas native to explain Texas to the rest of the nation) told in 152 pages.
More children’s books about Juneteenth are being published all the time as the newest US federal holiday becomes more well known. Here are two of the best.
For younger children by the legendary Floyd Cooper, Juneteenth for Mazie lets readers follow along as Mazie learns about the holiday.
For older children and anyone in search of an introduction, What is Juneteenth? is helpful and approachable.
Finally, here are two biographies of the people who brought us Juneteenth.
For readers interested in the military history of the American Civil War, this biography of General Granger will be of interest.
If, like me, you’re fascinated by how holidays come to be, this picture book biography of the woman who campaigned on behalf of Juneteenth will be welcome.
Independence Day (Tuesday, July 4, 2023)
Independence Day (informally known as the 4th of July for obvious reasons) celebrates “America’s Birthday.”
While several dates in the summer of 1776 compete for the “official” date of the Declaration of Independence, July 4 eventually won out in popular observance. It’s the date Congress adopted the Declaration.
I like to wish people a “Happy political independence from Great Britain day!” for several reasons:
- That’s what Independence Day actually recognizes–not some undefined concept of “freedom.”
- Great Britain (not “England” or “the UK”) is the state from which the 2nd Continental Congress declared independence in 1776. England was/is part of Great Britain, and the United Kingdom did not yet exist.
- The idea of “independence” has since become toxically transformed in American culture to imply utter lack of responsibility for and community with other people, especially in recent years. This needs to stop. I saw a meme recently that asked, “How’s that society of 320 million rugged individualists working out for you?” Exactly. With that in mind, I regard it as incredibly important to define our terms rather than vaguely celebrating “freedom” and “independence.”
“That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.”
Richard Henry Lee. Second Continental Congress. July 2, 1776.
Books for Independence Day
Husband-and-wife team Denise Kiernan and Joseph D’Agnese have collaborated on several approachable books about our national origins. The first two contain mini-biographies of each of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. The third is a miscellaneous collection of American history.
On July 5, 1852, Frederick Douglass gave one of the most significant speeches in United States history.
“What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” brilliantly calls out our country’s eternal conflict between what we would like to be and what we actually are.
|Related: Frederick Douglass’ Speeches: The Frederick Douglass Oratorical Contest
On a lighter note, my family loves this book, which retells the song “Yankee Doodle” from the perspective of the pony. A historical note explains the traditional song.
Labor Day (Monday, September 4, 2023)
A byproduct of the American labor movement, Labor Day honors the achievements and contributions of American workers. Americans celebrate Labor Day on the first Monday of September–another of those “floating Mondays.”
Books for Labor Day
For the big picture, consider this survey of labor history.
To narrow the lens to view just the history of American labor since the Industrial Revolution, try this:
To learn about labor activism and workers’ rights movements, check this out:
Written for children about the history of children’s labor in America, this book is valuable for readers of any age.
Here’s a picture book biography of Frances Perkins, the first female member of a presidential cabinet. Perkins served as Secretary of Labor under Franklin D. Roosevelt and was the brains behind much of the New Deal.
Celebrate National Holidays Responsibly in Summer 2023 (And Every Year)
I’m not just talking about firework safety.
But do remember to celebrate safely. Combining alcohol consumption, driving, fireworks, and water activities, not to mention weather that invites food spoilage, Independence Day consistently ranks as one of the most dangerous days of the year in the United States, with Labor Day and Memorial Day not far behind.
There’s a shadow side to national holidays.
The scary thing about national holidays is how quickly they can veer into opportunities for rampant nationalism, which can be extremely dangerous.
I just returned from Berlin, where celebrations of national identity went terribly, tragically wrong not so long ago. That danger is on my mind.
We have a responsibility to think about how and why we celebrate.
|Related: 20 Berlin History Books Recommended by Travelers and Tour Guides
Terms to Know to Celebrate National Holidays Responsibly
As always, it’s helpful to define a few terms. National identity and celebration exist on a spectrum. It’s responsible to keep in mind where your celebrations fall. Here’s how I like to think of patriotism, nationalism, and fascism.
Patriotism:
You love your country like you love your family. Sometimes your country (like your family) is in the right, and sometimes it’s in the wrong. Sometimes your country is being really toxic and needs to be called out with love, while other times it’s doing great things. You want your family to get along with their neighbors and have what they need but not go breaking into other people’s houses, etc…I’m going to stop this comparison right here because I think you get it and I could go on all day.
In sum, you love your country, but you’re not a jerk about it.
Nationalism:
You love your country like you love your family, but you and your family are utterly obnoxious fans of an utterly obnoxious sports team that (along with its fans) regularly wrecks its city, other cities, and anything else that gets in its way in the process of cheering for itself. Your players get away with literally anything, including rape and murder, as long as they keep winning games.
In sum, you love your country, but you are also a jerk about it.
Fascism:
Maybe you love your country, but what you really love is power, and your country’s an excuse to get and keep as much as you can.
You are a really big jerk about it, to the point of oppressing, often violently, people who disagree with you or don’t fit your vision of what you think your country should be like.
Want to learn more about political systems and theories? I’m a big fan of the DK Big Ideas Simply Explained series. Here’s one to try.
On US National Holidays, Don’t Forget the Pie
Wherever you call home, one of the best ways to embrace a healthy patriotism is through self-knowledge. One of the ways we can do that is by learning our country’s history and understanding why we celebrate our national holidays. I hope these books will help you do that.
And because I want to leave you with a recommendation as American as apple pie, here’s a new book coming out this summer that’s getting rave reviews: part cookbook, part food history, part memoir.
The best reason to learn history is to help build a better future.
How would picking up one of these books help you lead the way?
Which book will you start with?
Are there any you’ll recommend to friends or give as gifts?
Q: Which US state recognizes Flag Day as a legal holiday?
A. Pennsylvania, Betsy Ross’s home state.
Pin it for later!
24 comments
Of course, being a resident of Williamsburg Virginia, I’m automatically drawn to Independence Day books! Thank you for the recommendations. It’s a massive celebration here (we are gearing up for 2026 already!).
Oh, I’m sure! I’ll have to put that on my calendar and see if there are any can’t miss events.
Great post! Definitely adding these into my book club list.
I hope you find some you love!
I love the way you tie the book recommendations to the various US holidays we have throughout the summer. I will have to check out some of these recommendations. Great post!
I hope you find something perfect for you!
These are such great books to recommend! I don’t celebrate many holidays but I’ll definitely check these out.
They’re certainly not just for holidays, but they are all connected to them in some way. I hope you find something for you!
Thank you for appreciating the collection of history books. I believe it is crucial for individuals of all ages, both adults and children, to be familiar with our past and understand the significance of commemorating Memorial Day.
It’s definitely important to understand why we do what we do!
I love this inspiring list of books and plan to read a few. American holidays are special because they are about celebrating all we’ve been through and learned, and appreciating those who gave their lives so that we can live ours.
I hope you found some good choices!
Love this list! Great to kick off summer vacation reading and break up the screen time!
Definitely!
50 Pies, 50 States sounds delicious and fun!
It really does!
This is so great! Thank you! I will be using this list for my kids (and myself) this summer.
I’m so glad to hear that! Let me know if you need more specific recommendations.
Thanks for putting this list together. I have been looking for new books to read 🙂
I hope you found some good ones! Let me know if I can help you decide.
I live in Italy but passionate about US. I will definitely get some of your books to read with my kids!
I’d love to visit Italy! My kids really love Crankee Doodle, and the “What is/Who Was” series is great for elementary kids.
We live in the UK but as a homeschooling family, learning about holidays and festivals around the world is part of our education! Thanks for this!
I love learning about holidays, my own and those of others! I hope you found something on this list to use in your homeschool. My kids LOVE Crankee Doodle.