Today, April 16, is Patriot’s Day, a legal holiday in Maine and Massachusetts which commemorates the battles of Lexington and Concord, fought near Boston in 1775. Patriot's Day is annually held on the third Monday of April.
Maine schools begin their April recess, but most retail stores are open.
Since Patriots' Day is not a federal public holiday, post offices and federal agencies are open.
Since the federal tax filing deadline – April 15 – was on a Sunday and today is a holiday in both states, procrastinators get an extra day to file their returns.
April 16 is also Emancipation Day in Washington, D.C., which marks the anniversary of the signing of the Compensated Emancipation Act.
On April 16, 1862, Abraham Lincoln signed the act which freed more than 3,000 slaves in the District of Columbia. However, slavery did not officially end in the rest of the United States until after the American Civil War, which lasted from 1861 until 1865.
All federal offices in D.C. are closed for Emancipation Day, giving residents of the nation’s capital a three-day weekend as well.
(Corrected to reflect that most banks are open today, not closed.)
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