Memorial Day
Memorial
Day is a federal holiday formerly known as Decoration Day
Memorial Day
is set aside for the dead who lost their lives in the noble struggle for our
freedom. It was observed for the first time on May 30, 1863, by Lincoln’s
Proclamation, begun as a ritual of remembrance and reconciliation after the
Civil War. It was the only day up until that time that there was not a battle
going on, and ever since that time all the gravestones at Arlington National
Cemetery are graced by the American flag, the most famous national cemetery a
sixty acre cemetery, in Washington D.C., was confiscated from the confederate general
Robert E. Lee.
It was first enacted
to honor Union and confederate soldiers following the battle of Gettysburg, and
the extended after World War I to honor all Americans killed in all wars. Memorial Day marks the start of the summer vacation season and Labor Day its end. In the early 20th century, Memorial Day was an occasion for more general expressions, as 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, national media events such as the Indianapolis 500 and the Kentucky Derby.
From the time of the battle of Gettysburg forward the practice of decorating soldiers' graves has been widespread. The first known observance was in Waterloo, New York, when General John Murray, a distinguished citizen, was 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, 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. By 1890 every state followed suit.
By 1870, the remains of nearly 300,000 Union dead had been buried in seventy-three national cemeteries, located mostly in the South, near the battlefields. The Memorial Day speech became an occasion for the blabber mouths, politicians and ministers, to commemorate and mention atrocities. They mixed religion and politics that provided a means for the people to make sense of their history in terms of sacrifice for a better nation, one closer to God. People of all religious beliefs joined together. The point was often made that the German and Irish soldiers had become true Americans in the "baptism of blood” on the battlefield. By the end of the 1870s the rancor was gone and the speeches praised the brave soldiers both Blue and Gray.
Ironton, Ohio lays
claim to the nation's oldest continuously running Memorial Day parade, since
1869.
The first parade was held In the Southern Charleston,
South Carolina in 1865, freedmen (freed
enslaved Africans) celebrated at the Washington Race Course , today the
location of Hampton Park. The site had creating maybe the first Decoration Day
celebration which had been used as a temporary Confederate prison camp for captured
Union soldiers in 1865, as well as a mass grave for Union soldiers who died
there.
Immediately after the cessation of hostilities, freedmen
exhumed the bodies from the graves and place them in separate graves.
Post Amble
Our
Country
Is it enough to think
today
Of all our brave then put away?
The thought until a year has gone away, Is this
full honor for our dead?
Is it enough to sing a song Deck a grave and all
year long Forget the
brave who died that we Might
live in our land proud and free?Full service needs a greater toll That we who live give heart and soul To keep the land they died to save, And by ourselves, in turn, be the brave.
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