National Hispanic Heritage Month

National Hispanic Heritage Month is a national observance authorized by Public Law 100-402 which states:

The President is hereby authorized and requested to issue annually a proclamation designating a 31-day period National Hispanic Heritage Month. and calling upon the people of the United States, especially the educational community, to observe such month with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

The President is hereby authorized and requested to issue annually a proclamation designating the 31-day period beginning September 15 and ending on October 15 as "National Hispanic Heritage Month" and calling upon the people of the United States, especially the educational community, to observe such month with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

The observation was initiated in 1968 as National Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson but was expanded in 1988 by President Ronald Reagan to cover a month. September 15 was chosen to celebrate the independence of five Latin American countries (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence on September 16 and 18.