Although these patriotic celebrations are frequently referred to as "national holidays," legally they are only applicable to federal employees and the District of Columbia. New Year's Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day

On June 28, 1870, the first federal holidays were established for federal employees in the District of Columbia. Apparently drafted in response to a memorial drafted by local "bankers and business men," the June 28 act provided that New Year's Day, Independence Day, Christmas Day, and "any day appointed or recommended by the President of the United States as a day of public fasting or thanksgiving [were] to be holidays within the District [of Columbia]." Washington's Birthday

In January 1879, Congress added George Washington's Birthday to the list of holidays observed in the District of Columbia. Enactment of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act in 1968 shifted the commemoration of Washington's Birthday from February 22 to the third Monday in February. Decoration Day/Memorial Day

In 1888, Decoration Day (now Memorial Day) became a holiday for federal workers in the District of Columbia. Labor Day

In 1894, Labor Day became a federal holiday. Armistice Day/Veterans Day

In 1938, Armistice Day was declared a federal holiday, and November 11, the date on which hostilities ceased, was chosen to commemorate the close of World War I. On June 1, 1954, the name of Armistice Day was officially changed to Veterans Day. In 1968, with the passage of the "Law," Veterans Day was designated as one of five holidays that would henceforth be celebrated on a Monday and the date was changed from November 11 to the fourth Monday in October. Inauguration Day

On January 11, 1957, Inauguration Day became a permanent federal holiday in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. Columbus Day

In 1968, Columbus Day was made a federal holiday. Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. In November 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed legislation creating a federal holiday commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. The "Monday Holiday Law" "provide[d] for uniform annual observances of certain legal public holidays on Mondays, and established a legal public holiday in honor of Christopher Columbus." Columbus Day was also designated as a Monday holiday, to be celebrated on the second Monday in October.
The United States has established by law the following 11 permanent federal holidays, listed in the order they appear in the calendar: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday, Inauguration Day (every four years following a presidential election), George Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. Although frequently called public or national holidays, these celebrations are only legally applicable to federal employees and the District of Columbia, as the states individually decide their own legal holidays.
The first four congressionally designated federal holidays were created in 1870, when Congress granted paid time off to federal workers in the District of Columbia for New Year's Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. In 1880, George Washington's Birthday was included. In 1885, Congress extended holiday coverage for some holidays to all federal employees. Although Thanksgiving Day was included in the first holiday bill of 1870, it was not until 1941 that Congress specifically designated the fourth Thursday of November as the official date.
Since 1888, Congress has added six federal holidays, creating Decoration Day (now Memorial Day) in 1888, Labor Day in 1894, Armistice Day (now Veterans Day) in 1938, Inauguration Day in 1957 (quadrennially and only celebrated in the District of Columbia), Columbus Day in 1968, and Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday in 1983. In 1954, Armistice Day was broadened to honor Americans who fought in World War II and the Korean conflict, and the name of the holiday was changed to Veterans Day.
In 1968, the Uniform Monday Holiday Act was enacted to "provide for uniform annual observances" of Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, and Veterans Day. Additionally, the Monday Holiday Law established Columbus Day to be celebrated on the second Monday in October. In 1975, Veterans Day celebrations were returned to November 11 by Congress.