when was hispanic heritage first celebrated in the us

Hispanic heritage was first officially celebrated at the national level in the United States in 1968 , when Congress created National Hispanic Heritage Week , signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson and observed during the week that included September 15 and 16.

From a Week to a Month

• In 1968 , Congress authorized an annual National Hispanic Heritage Week , and President Johnson issued the first proclamation that year.

• The week was deliberately placed around September 15–16 , aligning with independence day anniversaries for several Latin American countries (including Mexico and Central American nations).

• In 1988 , Congress passed legislation to expand the observance from a week to a month-long celebration (September 15 to October 15), which President Ronald Reagan signed into law.

• The first official National Hispanic Heritage Month proclamation was issued by President George H. W. Bush in 1989.

So, if you’re looking for the first time Hispanic heritage was formally celebrated nationwide by the U.S. government , the answer is 1968 (Hispanic Heritage Week) , later expanded to the month-long observance we know today.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.