Primary sourceDocument9 May 1914

Wilson's Mother's Day Proclamation

Woodrow Wilson · 9 May 1914

The official 1914 presidential proclamation establishing Mother's Day, signed by Woodrow Wilson and Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan.

Wilson signed this proclamation as president, formally establishing Mother's Day as a national observance.

Ask Woodrow Wilson about this source View the original

Scan of a typed presidential proclamation dated May 9, 1914, with the United States seal embossed at lower left, a signature of Woodrow Wilson at lower right, and a signature of William Jennings Bryan below left. A May 9 1914 receipt stamp appears top right. — Presidential Proclamation establishing Mother's Day, signed by Woodrow Wilson, 9 May 1914. National Archives.

About this source

What it is

This is a typed presidential proclamation dated 9 May 1914, bearing the embossed seal of the United States. It is signed by President Woodrow Wilson and countersigned by Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan. The original is held in the National Archives and has also been copied onto microfilm.

Why it matters

The document shows a president using his office to establish a new national observance. It reveals how official proclamations were produced and certified in the early twentieth century, with layers of signature, seal, and government stamp marking their authority.

Look closer

What details on the page show that this is an official government document rather than a private letter?
Why might two signatures, Wilson's and Bryan's, appear on the same proclamation?
What does the receipt stamp tell you about how this document was processed?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Woodrow Wilson on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.