Mother’s Day

The origins of Mother's Day as a modern celebration [blank] be traced back to the early 20th century in the United States, thanks to the efforts of Anna Jarvis. Following the death of her mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, in 1905, Anna sought to honor her mother's legacy and the sacrifices mothers [blank] for their children. Ann Reeves Jarvis had previously established Mother's Day Work Clubs to address public health issues and reconcile union and Confederate neighbours during the Civil War. Inspired by her mother's work, Anna Jarvis campaigned for the establishment of a national Mother's Day to honor all mothers. Her efforts bore fruit [blank] President Woodrow Wilson officially declared the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day in 1914. Initially a day of personal celebration and religious observance, Mother's Day quickly became commercialized, a development [blank] Anna Jarvis later vehemently opposed, spending much of her later life fighting the commercialization of the holiday she helped create.