A Brief History of Mother's Day

April 6, 2026 Jillian Novak

お母さん. Matka. Moeder. Mom. Mutter. Мама. Madre. 엄마.

No matter what you call her, there's no one like her. No one can replace her. And despite everything she does for the whole family, there's only one day a year dedicated just to her (and all of the other women who have answered motherhood's call). The recognition is obviously deserved, and we know that one day isn't nearly enough for all she does.

But how did we come to have a holiday all about Mom? Who was behind it? Why did they think there should be a special day just for Mom? Interested in answers to these questions? Read on!

Who Thought Up Mother's Day?

While motherhood and fertility have been venerated from prehistory until the present,¹ the concept of a dedicated Mother's Day is a relatively modern phenomenon. It wasn't until 1870 that an official 'call' arose in Julia Ward Howe's "Appeal to Womanhood Throughout the World"² in condemnation of violence, war, and bloodshed.³ Howe felt that mothers would be intrinsically opposed to the cruelty and needless death of war since mothers alone bear and know the true cost of a human life. Howe's plea was summed up simply:

“I earnestly ask that a general congress of women, without limit of nationality, may be appointed … to promote the alliance of the different nationalities, the amicable settlement of international questions, the great and general interests of peace."

Howe's call was, at its core, a feminist one for the end of bloodshed and the promotion of international cooperation. At the time of her Appeal, the American Civil War had ended only 5 years earlier, and news of the unfolding Franco-Prussian war in mainland Europe caused Howe a great deal of concern.

Why was Mother's Day First Proposed?

As a result of her Appeal to Womanhood, Howe—an activist, poet, and social reformer—decided to advocate for an annual Mother's Day for Peace. She envisioned it being celebrated in June. And, while Howe's ideal of a peace-seeking panel of women focused on cooperation between nations wasn't ever (and has yet to be) established, it actually did lead to sporadic celebrations of Mother's Day in a few places for about 30 years after her death. Howe's idea of a Mother's Day for Peace ultimately withered a few years before World War I erupted.³

Why was Mother's Day so Pacifist?

Ann Reeves Jarvis (1832-1905) was a peace activist and community organizer living in modern-day West Virginia. Herself a mother to over a dozen children (of whom many died),⁴ Jarvis worked to serve her community to help other mothers and families avoid the same tragedies that had befallen her. Diphtheria and measles were common diseases at the time, so she joined a national public health movement made up primarily of women, seeking to deepen her neighbors' understanding of hygiene and disease. She also organized “Mothers’ Work Clubs” and promoted special “Mother’s Work Days,” where women would collaboratively collect trash and undertake other projects to improve local environmental conditions.

Later, when the American Civil War tore her region of Appalachia apart, Jarvis remained adamant that the women's groups she organized would help both Union and Confederate troops. In 1868, three years after the end of the Civil War (and despite threats of violence), she organized a “Mother’s Friendship Day” to bring families from both sides of the war together to try to restore a sense of community.

Whether Jarvis' work inspired Howe's Appeal of 1870 is uncertain (Jarvis and Howe knew each other), but it remains clear that both shared the belief that women—and especially mothers—were best suited to bring people together with a goal of peace.

Jarvis' daughter, Anna Jarvis, continued to pursue the legacy her mother began. Her aim was to commemorate her mother’s achievements and continue to highlight the invaluable role of mothers in society.⁴

Anna Jarvis was not herself a mother, and peace activism was not the focus of her idea of the holiday. Instead, Anna Jarvis believed the celebration should focus around honoring one's own mother. Anna proposed that white carnations and heartfelt letters of gratitude best expressed the sentiments of the holiday. She worked tirelessly to have Mother's Day acknowledged as a national holiday, undertaking massive letter-writing campaigns to politicians, business leaders, and women's groups.

As a result of Anna's campaigning, there were two simltaneous Mother’s Day celebrations on May 10, 1908: one in Grafton, West Virginia, and the other in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The date was symbolically chosen to align with the anniversary month of Ann Reeves Jarvis’s death, serving as a tribute to her life and the broader concept of maternal appreciation.

When was the First Mother's Day?

The first known observance of a Mother's Day solely dedicated to honoring "Mom" occurred in Henderson, KY in 1887, 17 years after Howe's appeal to peace.⁵ The observance was led by teacher Mary Towles Sasseen. After publishing a pamphlet about her ideas for the holiday, Sasseen began travelling nationwide to promote the observance of a national holiday; the proposed date of April 20th concided with Sasseen's own mother's birthday. Schools in several neighboring states adopted the holiday.

Unfortunately for Sasseen, she died in 1906, shortly before the holiday was enshrined nationally. However, her work for the holiday was recognized by the Kentucky legislature, who, in 1926, passed a resolution proclaiming Mary the “originator of the idea of the Celebration of Mother’s Day.”

When was Mother's Day Officially Established?

President Woodrow Wilson signed a bill designating the second Sunday in May as an annual holiday known as "Mother's Day."⁴ It became an official legal U.S. holiday in 1914.

What was the Message of Mother's Day?

Anna Reeves Jarvis and Julia Ward Howe wanted Mother's Day to serve as a call to peace and an end to needless death and suffering. Anna Jarvis and Mary Towles Sasseen thought that the holiday should focus on honoring one's own mother.

Both ideas moved forward together, until eventually the ideas of Anna Jarvis and Mary Sasseen won the day at around the same time as the official establishment of the holiday.

Ironically, Anna Jarvis—the woman most directly responsible for Mother's Day becoming an official holiday—grew disillusioned with the commercialization of the celebration. In her eyes, the meaning was growing crass and hollow; it was only benefitting florists and greeting-card companies, not the actual real labor of mothering done by real women every day. Anna Jarvis began a petition to recall the holiday in 1943. In 1948, she died penniless in a sanitarium, where her stay was funded by the card companies and florists she fought so valiantly against.

Is Mother's Day Celebrated Outside of the US?

Mother's Day is celebrated worldwide. Despite the increasing commercialization decried by Anna Jarvis, the essence of the holiday remains a genuine celebration of maternal influence and unconditional love. It is shaped in each country through varied traditions that reflect each culture’s unique expression of maternal honor.

No matter how you celebrate Mother’s Day, it serves as a timeless tribute to the nurturing, sacrificial, and enduring love of mothers, highlighting their indispensable role in our lives and the fabric of society at large.

Does Mother's Day Have Ancient Origins?

While there are no known direct historical parallels to our modern idea of Mother's Day, motherhood itself was celebrated by the ancient Greeks and Romans. Both cultures held spring-time festivals characterized by offerings and rituals designed to appease and honor their mother-goddess, acknowledging the nurturing aspects of motherhood that were seen as critical to both family and societal well-being. These celebrations for Rhea, the Greek mother goddess, and Cybele, her Roman counterpart, underscored these societies' reverence for motherhood as a fundamental pillar of their social and religious life.

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