President Eisenhower first proclaimed Law Day in 1958 to honor the rule of law in the United States.
President Eisenhower had seen with his own eyes the horrors of a society that suppressed the freedoms of speech, religion, and basic civil liberties.
It is fitting that Eisenhower, despite being a general and not a lawyer, proclaimed the first Law Day.
The 2013 ABA Law Day theme focuses on civil rights and equality. The history from the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement is long and has many heroes. May 1 is a day to remember those who endured tube feedings for the right to vote, suffered under convict leasing and faced fire hoses for civil rights.
