Memorial Day
Memorial Day
is set aside for the brave dead who lost their lives in the noble struggle for
our
freedom. It was observed for the first time on May 30, 1863,
because it was not the anniversary of a
battle. And since that time the gravestones at Arlington National
Cemetery are graced by the
American flag on the last Monday in May. Memorial Day is a federal
holiday formerly known as
Decoration Day. It was first enacted to honor Union and confederate soldiers
following the
American Civil War and was extended after World War I to honor Americans in all wars.
Memorial Day
marks the start of the summer vacation season and Labor Day its end. Begun as a
ritual of remembrance and reconciliation after the Civil
War, by the early 20th century, Memorial
Day was an occasion for more general expressions of memory, as
ordinary people visited the graves
of their deceased relatives, whether they had served in the military
or not making it a long
weekend increasingly devoted to shopping, family get-togethers, fireworks, trips
to the beach and
national media events such as the Indianapolis 500 and the Kentucky Derby.
From Gettysburg
in, 1863, forward the practice of decorating soldiers' graves was widespread.
The first known observance was in Waterloo, New York. General
John Murray, a distinguished
citizen of Waterloo was likely a factor in the holiday's growth. On May
5, 1868, in his capacity as
commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic the organization for
Northern Civil War
veterans – Murray issued a proclamation that "Decoration Day" should
be observed nationwide.
There were events in cemeteries in twenty-seven states that year and Michigan
made Decoration
Day an official state holiday.
1890 every state made Decoration Day a state holiday.
To be continued …
Author Karl Wallace
