The Providence Journal, the biggest paper around, editorialized against creating Victory Day in the forties, saying the state shouldn't have another holiday.Ī different criticism of victory that you started to hear in the 1980s was: It's always been named Victory Day on the statute books. And it certainly has been controversial at different times. And so therefore, unless someone can actually get an act of the legislature passed to get rid of it, it stays in place. Nesi: I also think, like a lot of things in American politics and government, some of it is just dependence. It sounds like a similar thing in Rhode Island, having to do with the size and the geography. Rath: It's interesting hearing that because, I was talking about England, and that's a place where the smallest town has lost people in the war. And then some people a little more cynically say, “hey, who doesn't want a day off in August?” I do think there's always been a lot of pushback at the idea of getting rid of it from World War II veterans, from traditionalists. But the only other states that actually did was Arkansas, and they got rid of it in the 1970s. It was a big deal.Īnd then, of course, the fact that it was created, which happened in 1948 - I think at the time the state lawmakers thought there would be more states creating similar observances to mark the end of World War II. And the manufacturing industry in Rhode Island really went into overdrive building ships and equipment and material and everything. presidents trained at the bases around Rhode Island for the Navy. But if you think of what a small state Rhode Island is - about one in 10 of Rhode Islanders in the 1940s served in the war.

Fundamentally, World War II was a very big deal in Rhode Island, as it was everywhere. Ted Nesi: I think any time you have a quirky or unusual observance in any state, it's always a mix of history and happenstance. To discuss why the state still commemorates Victory Day, Arun Rath was joined on All Things Considered by Ted Nesi, political and business editor and investigative reporter at WPRI television in Providence.Īrun Rath: So tell us, why is it just Rhode Island? Is history more alive in Rhode Island for some reason? Despite its significance, the holiday is only commemorated by one state: Rhode Island. V-J Day, August 14, 1945, is the day the Japanese surrendered, ending World War II.

Victory day 2021