The first Mother's Day observance was a church service in 1908 requested by Anna Jarvis of Philadelphia to honor her deceased mother. Jarvis, at an early age, heard her mother express hope that a day to commemorate all mothers would be established. Her mother also expressed the sentiment that there were many days dedicated to men but none to mothers. Two years after her mother's death, Jarvis and friends began a letter-writing campaign to declare a national Mother's Day observance to honor mothers.
President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation on May 9, 1914, asking Americans to give a public expression of reverence to mothers through the celebration of Mother's Day. Congress passed the legislation designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day. Carnations have come to represent the day, following President William McKinley's habit of always wearing a white carnation, his mother's favorite flower.
To learn more about Mother's Day, please visit America's Story from America's Library - The First Mother's Day presented by the Library of Congress (LOC) .
To access facts about Mother's Day, such as the percentage of working mothers, the average age of women when they give birth for the first time, the number of women who have babies each year and more, please visit the Facts for Features web page from the U.S. Census Bureau .
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