What is Memorial Day? It is an American holiday, celebrated on the last Monday in May, honoring the men and women who died while serving in the United States military. This year, Memorial Day will take place on Monday, May 30.
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday through an act of Congress in 1971, and its origins date back to the Civil War. Unlike Veterans Day, Memorial Day honors all military members who have died while serving in the US forces. If you don’t know the history of Memorial Day, here are some facts:
What is Memorial Day and why do we celebrate it?
The origins of this holiday can be traced back to local observations of soldiers whose graves were abandoned during the Civil War.
According to some historians, the first celebration of what would become Memorial Day took place in Charleston, SC, at the site of a racecourse that Confederates had turned into a prison for prisoners. of the Union. Yale historian David Blight wrote in The New York Times in 2011.
Then, on May 1, 1865, they held an event there that included a parade – Negroes who fought in the Civil War took part – spiritual readings and songs, and go on a picnic. A commemorative marker was erected there in 2010.
One of the first Proclamation Days was celebrated in Columbus, Mississippi, on April 25, 1866, by women decorating the graves of Confederate soldiers who died in battle at Shiloh with flowers.
On May 5, 1868, three years after the end of the Civil War, the tradition of placing flowers on veterans’ graves was continued with the establishment of Decoration Day by an organization of Confederate veterans, Republican Army.
General Ulysses S. Grant presided over the first major ceremony, a crowd of about 5,000, at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia on May 30, 1873. The orphans of soldiers and sailors killed in battle. The war placed flowers and a small American flag atop both. Confederate and Confederate graves throughout the cemetery.
This tradition continues to thrive in cemeteries of all sizes across the country.
Until World War I, Civil War soldiers were honored only on this holiday. Now, all Americans who have served are being observed.
Despite conflicting claims, the United States Congress and President Lyndon Johnson proclaimed Waterloo, New York, the “birthplace” of Memorial Day on May 30, 1966, following Governor Nelson’s proclamation Rockefeller that same year. The New York community officially honors local veterans May 5, 1866 by closing businesses and lowering the flag at half-time.
What is the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day?
Memorial Day and Veterans Day both honor the sacrifices of US Veterans but serve different purposes.
Veterans Day, originally known as “Armistice Day,” is a younger holiday established in 1926 as a way to remember all those who served in the United States armed forces during the War. World War I. Memorial Day honors all those who died.
Veterans Day is celebrated on November 11 to signify the Armistice that ended hostilities in World War I in 1918.
After World War II, the purpose of Armistice Day was expanded and changed in 1954 to recognize those who had served in all of America’s wars.
Why is Memorial Day in May?
The date on which we celebrate Memorial Day is believed to have been influenced by U.S. Representative of Illinois John A. Logan. He was elected to the United States House of Representatives as a Democrat in November 1858, and was an officer during the Mexican War.
It is said that Logan, a staunch defender of the Confederacy, believes that Memorial Day will come when flowers are in full bloom across the country, according to the National Museum of the United States Army.
Congress passed legislation making May 30 a holiday in the District of Columbia in 1888, according to the United States Congressional Research Service.
Now Memorial Day is considered the last Monday in May.
In 2000, the National Moments of Remembrance Act – which established the White House Committee on National Moments of Remembrance and encouraged all to pause at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day for a minute of silence – signed into law by the National Assembly and the President.
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