Patriots' Day was established in 1894 by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Governor Frederic T. Greenhalge signed the law that designated April 19 as a legal holiday to commemorate the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the initial engagements of the American Revolutionary War which took place on that date in 1775.
The creation of this holiday was part of a late 19th-century movement to foster American patriotism and historical remembrance. It officially replaced Fast Day, a solemn public holiday of fasting and prayer with Puritan origins that had been observed in Massachusetts since the 17th century. The transition from a religious day of atonement to a secular celebration of a military and civic event reflects a significant cultural shift. Initially observed on the fixed date of April 19, the holiday was later moved to the third Monday in April by Massachusetts in 1969 as part of a uniform Monday holiday act to create more three-day weekends.
Today, the holiday is a state-level observance, most prominently in Massachusetts and Maine, which adopted the holiday in 1907 when it was still part of Massachusetts. Connecticut and Wisconsin also mark the day with some form of official recognition. Its most famous modern association is with the Boston Marathon, which has been held on Patriots' Day every year since 1897, linking the historical commemoration with a major contemporary civic and athletic event.
