To most Americans, Memorial Day represents the start of the summer, but some of you may be wondering how Memorial Day actually got its start and what Memorial Day was truly meant for. Today I will take you on a journey of Memorial Day from the 1860s during the Civil War to the family barbecues and cookouts of today.
Originally called Decoration Day, Memorial Day began as a way to recognize the men who died fighting in the Civil War. Memorial Day is celebrated every year on the last Monday of May by most states in America. It was first officially recognized as a Federal holiday in 1971 by Congress, though people had been celebrating Memorial Day since the late 1860s.
No one is quite sure when or where Memorial Day first originated. It is said that the day was started because of all of the gatherings in many different towns and cities by Americans decorating the graves of those who fought during the Civil War, some celebrations were happening even before the war ended. On May 2, 1868 General John A. Logan, “national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic,” first declared Decoration Day to be celebrated later that month on May 30,1868. He announced the day to be one of prayer, celebration, and appraisal for those who had died during the war. On that day, people placed flowers on Confederate and Union soldiers’ graves at Arlington National Cemetery. New York was the first state to recognize the holiday in 1873. By 1890 all of the Northern states recognized the day while Southern states continued to celebrate Confederate soldiers on a separate day.
After the United States became a part of another major war, World War I, Decoration Day became a commemoration day for American men and women who fought and died in all wars. It was then that Southern states began recognizing the holiday, although Texas, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, and Louisiana still have a second day to remember just Confederate soldiers. For 100 years, Decoration Day was celebrated on May 30 until 1968 when Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act which declared Memorial Day to be celebrated on the last Monday of May. Many people to this day still believe that Memorial Day should be moved back to its original date of May 30th so that Americans will be less nonchalant about celebrating the holiday and the importance and uniformity of Americans will be brought back into the day.
Today there are many traditions celebrated on Memorial Day. Many parades take place across America; the largest taking place in Chicago, IL, Washington D.C, and New York. In most parades, some American veterans and current members of the U.S. military walk. Other Americans visit gravesites and honor the military in that way. Yet most Americans hold barbecues and parties to celebrate the long weekend and the start of the summer. Most people have forgotten the true meaning of the original Decoration Day leading us to lose yet another way in which the American people can meet in unison in commonality and equality.
