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Mother’s Day has come a long way from its radical roots.

It began as an attempt by American activist Julia Ward Howe, who was horrified by the bloodshed of the Civil War, to establish an international political body made up of women who would promote peace and find alternatives to war. She then sought to create a “Mother’s Day for Peace” to promote her vision, which was somewhat successful.

Later, Anna Jarvis successfully petitioned to create a national Mother’s Day to honor her own mother, public health reformer Ann Jarvis. The first celebration was held in 1914. However, Jarvis was so dismayed by its almost immediate crass commercialization that she ended up unsuccessfully petitioning to have it recalled nearly 30 years later, in 1943.

However, Mother’s Day remains, though its history as a celebration of anti-war and public health efforts has largely been forgotten.

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