The History Behind National Days of Mourning

Jan 10, 2025

1 min

Alan J. Singer

A national day of mourning for Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, was held on January 9. Professor of Education Alan Singer talked to Newsday about the history of national days of mourning and how they are observed.



Dr. Singer said, “There are no official criteria” for what constitutes a nationwide time to mourn or another symbolic nationwide pause. He also noted that a handful have been declared in modern American history for incidents besides the death of a president.


President George W. Bush declared a national day of mourning for 9/11. In 1968, Dr. Singer said, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared national days of mourning for both Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy because “they were national leaders who were assassinated.”

Connect with:
Alan J. Singer

Alan J. Singer

Professor of Teaching, Learning and Technology

Alan Singer specializes in social studies education and United States history.

Social Studies EducationUnited States HistoryHistory of SlaveryTeaching race. ethnicity and class
Powered by

You might also like...

Check out some other posts from Hofstra University

1 min

School District Faces an Impossible Choice in Fight Over Mascot Name

Education Professor Alan Singer was interviewed by Newsday about the Connetquot School District on Long Island being threatened with funding cuts if it does not reinstate its old mascot name, the Thunderbirds. The name change to T-Birds was made in 2022 to comply with the state’s ban on Native American mascots and other imagery in public schools.

1 min

Julian Ku Analyzes International Law in Recent Media

Hofstra Law Professor Julian G. Ku has been featured in multiple news outlets, providing expert legal analysis on global issues and interpretations of international law. In a Newsweek article on China’s cancellation of flights to Japan, Prof. Ku provided commentary on how political pressures could play into fractious China-Japan relations. Prof. Ku also spoke with Dutch daily newspaper Trouw about China’s evolving vision of international law, explaining how Chinese leaders emphasize state sovereignty while downplaying human rights norms — a perspective that resonates in parts of the Global South. In Trouw, he described this selective approach as part of China’s broader effort to reshape the narrative around the postwar legal order. The Maurice A. Deane Distinguished Professor of Constitutional Law at Hofstra Law and Faculty Director of International Programs, Prof. Ku teaches and writes on international and constitutional law.

1 min

Suburbia’s ICE Shift

Lawrence Levy, associate vice president and executive dean of the National Center for Suburban Studies, is featured in the Politico report “Suburbia’s ICE Shift,” about voters – particularly those in suburban counties – souring on President Donald Trump’s aggressive deportation campaign. This is significant because the suburbs are a key indicator of how the national mood has dramatically shifted over the last month.

View all posts