When is Freedom of Information Day? This holiday is always celebrated on March 16
Freedom of Information Day celebrates and recognizes a valuable concept in the American Bill of Rights. The date for this March 16 holiday was selected as it is the birth date of James Madison, the 4th president of the United States of America. James Madison is the “Father of the Constitution” and the chief author of the “Bill of Rights”. Freedom of information and individual rights was very important to James Madison.
The Freedom of Information Act was passed into law in 1966 and signed by then President Lyndon M. Johnson. It opened up a wealth of information to American citizens. This act provided the right to access Federal government information and records. There are 9 exemptions. For example, exemptions exist for national defense secrets and personnel and medical files. Over the years there have been amendments to this act. More recently, President William Clinton signed the Electronic Freedom of Information Amendment to this Act in 1996. James Madison would be very pleased with the passing of this act.!
How to Celebrate Freedom of Information Day
Exercise your rights under this Act. If you are looking for federal information that you cannot find anywhere, make a request to the Federal government for it.
Whenever the opportunity arises, help to encourage freedom of information.
Today's Quote
“The right to free speech is more important than the content of the speech.” – – Voltaire
History and Origin of Freedom of Information Day
As previously mentioned, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Freedom of Information Act in 1966. This holiday was not established that year. We did not discover when it was started.
The selection of the date honors the birth date of President James Madison.
We do not doubt that this is a true national day, even though the title does not say so. This holiday is widely recognized and documented in the U.S. Government websites and other written materials.
More March 16 Holidays
Here are more March 16 holidays we are sure you will enjoy:
Ecards Send a free Ecard daily for just about any March calendar holiday, occasion, observance, or event. Or, just for the fun of it!
Holiday Insights, where every day in March is a holiday, a bizarre or wacky day, an observance, or a special event. Join us in the daily calendar fun each and every day of the year.
Did You Know? There are literally thousands of daily holidays, special events, and observances, more than one for every day of the year. and many of these holidays are new. People and organizations are creating new holidays regularly. March holidays are no exception. Consequently, at Holiday Insights, we take great efforts to thoroughly research and document the details of each one, as completely and accurately as possible.