A petition calling on Alabama to end its combined Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert E. Lee holiday has garnered more than 13,600 signatures.

The petition on Care2 urges Alabama and Mississippi – the last two states with a joint holiday for the slain civil rights leader and the Confederate general – to stop the “horrific” practice of the merged day.

“In Alabama and Mississippi, the third Monday is not only MLK Jr. Day, it is also Robert E. Lee Day — a state holiday celebrating Confederate General Robert E. Lee who ruthlessly fought for the right to keep black people enslaved,” petition organizers said. "While it is horrific that these states celebrate the two men on the same day, the real horror is that they even celebrate Lee at all.

“Let’s be clear — Robert E. Lee was a traitor to the United States of America. After taking an oath to serve the country, Lee resigned from the U.S. Army in order to join the Confederacy’s war against it. Known for his tactical brilliance, Lee was responsible for the death of over 700 combatants and civilians during the four-year war,” organizers added.

Alabama will commemorate MLK/Lee Day next Monday.

As of Tuesday night, the petition has 13,678 signatures out of its 14,000 goal.

It also urges Florida and Arkansas to drop Robert E. Lee Day from their lists of official holidays. Both states have a day honoring Lee on their calendars but do not combine it with MLK Day.

You can find the petition at www.thepetitionsite.com.

Alabama and Mississippi have commemorated Lee's birthday since the 1800s and King's since 1983. The Lee/King holiday is one of three Confederate-related days on Alabama's official calendar, which also includes Confederate Memorial Day on the fourth Monday in April and the birthday of former Confederate President Jefferson Davis on the first Monday in June.

Lee was born on Jan. 19, 1807; King was born on Jan. 15, 1929.