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==History== |
==History== |
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By 1865 the practice of decorating soldiers' graves had become widespread in the North. General [[John Logan]], National Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic--the society of Union Army veterans--called for all GAR posts to celebrate a "Decoration Day" on May 30, 1868. There were events in 183 cemeteries in 27 states in 1868, and 336 in 1869. The northern states quickly adopted the holiday; Michigan made "Decoration Day" an official state holiday in 1871 and by 1890 every northern state followed suit. The ceremonies were sponsored by the Women's Relief Corps, with 100,000 members. |
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At the end of the [[American_Civil_War|Civil War]], communities set aside a day to mark the end of the war or as a memorial to those who had died. Some of the places creating an early memorial day include [[Sharpsburg, Maryland]], located near [[Antietam Battlefield]]; [[Charleston, South Carolina]]; [[Boalsburg, Pennsylvania]]; [[Carbondale, Illinois]]; [[Columbus, Mississippi]]; many communities in Vermont; and some two dozen other cities and towns. These observances coalesced around Decoration Day, honoring the Confederate dead, and the several [[Confederate States Army|Confederate]] Memorial Days. |
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By 1870, the remains of nearly 300,000 Union dead had been buried in 73 national cemeteries, located mostly in the South, near the battlefields. The most famous are the Gettysburg National Cemetery in Pennsylvania and the Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington. |
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The Memorial Day speech became an occasion for veterans, politicians and ministers to commemorate the war--and at first to rehearse the atrocities of the enemy. They mixed religion and celebratory nationalism and 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, and the point was often made that the Germans 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. By the 1950s, the theme was American exceptionalism and duty to uphold freedom in the world. |
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⚫ | The first known observance was in [[Waterloo (village), New York|Waterloo, New York]] on May 5, 1866, and each year thereafter. The friendship between General John Murray, a distinguished citizen of Waterloo, and General [[John A. Logan]], who helped bring attention to the event nationwide, 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]], a veterans' organization, Logan issued a proclamation that "Decoration Day" be observed nationwide.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20070315014031/http://www.jal.cc.il.us/loganmemorial.html |title=Logan's Order Mandating Memorial Day: General Order #11 |accessdate=2010-05-28}}</ref> It was observed for the first time on May 30 of the same year; the date was chosen because it was ''not'' the anniversary of a battle. The |
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⚫ | |||
===First celebrations=== |
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⚫ | In [[Charleston, South Carolina]] in 1865 Freedmen (freed slaves) celebrated at the Washington Race Course (today the location of [[Hampton Park (Charleston, SC)|Hampton Park]]). The site 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 mass grave and reinterred them properly with individual graves. They built a fence around the graveyard with an entry arch and declared it a Union graveyard. On May 1, 1865, a crowd of up to ten thousand, mainly black residents, including 2800 children, proceeded to the location for events that included sermons, singing, and a picnic on the grounds, thereby creating the first Decoration Day.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2009/may/24/the_first_memorial_day83450/ |title=The First Memorial Day |publisher=The Post and Courier |author=Brian Hicks |date=May 24, 2009 |accessdate=2010-05-28}}</ref> |
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⚫ | The first known observance was in [[Waterloo (village), New York|Waterloo, New York]] on May 5, 1866, and each year thereafter. The friendship between General John Murray, a distinguished citizen of Waterloo, and General [[John A. Logan]], who helped bring attention to the event nationwide, 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]], a veterans' organization, Logan issued a proclamation that "Decoration Day" be observed nationwide.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20070315014031/http://www.jal.cc.il.us/loganmemorial.html |title=Logan's Order Mandating Memorial Day: General Order #11 |accessdate=2010-05-28}}</ref> It was observed for the first time on May 30 of the same year; the date was chosen because it was ''not'' the anniversary of a battle. The tombs of fallen Union soldiers were decorated in remembrance. |
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===South=== |
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African Americans had their own separate Memorial Days, beginning with a major celebration on May 1, 1865 in Charleston, South Carolina. It was the nation's first Memorial Day. |
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Beginning in 1866 the Southern states had their own Memorial Day, ranging from April 26 to mid June. The birthday of Confederate President [[Jefferson Davis]], June 3, became a state holiday in 10 states by 1916. |
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Across the South associations were founded after the War Between the States to establish and care for permanent cemeteries for Confederate soldiers, organize commemorative ceremonies, and sponsor impressive monuments as a permanent way of remembering the Confederate tradition. Women provided the leadership in these associations, paving the way to establish themselves as capable of public leadership. |
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The earliest Confederate Memorial Day celebrations were simple, sober occasions for veterans and their families to honor the day and attend to local cemeteries. Around 1890, there was a shift from this consolatory emphasis on honoring specific soldiers to public commemoration of the Confederate "Lost Cause." Changes in the ceremony's hymns and speeches reflect an evolution of the ritual into a symbol of cultural renewal and conservatism in the South. By 1913, however, the theme of American nationalism shared equal time with the Lost Cause. |
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The ceremonies and Memorial Day address at Gettysburg National Park were nationally famous, starting in 1868. However not until 1913, was a Southerner asked to give the main address. In July 1913, veterans of the United States and Confederate armies gathered in Gettysburg to commemorate the fifty-year anniversary of the Civil War's bloodiest and most famous battle. The four-day "Blue-Gray Reunion" featured parades, reenactments, and speeches from a host of dignitaries, including President [[Woodrow Wilson]], the first Southerner in the White House since the War. Congressman James Heflin of Alabama was given the honor of the main address. He was a famous orator; two of his best-known speeches were an endorsement of the Lincoln Memorial and his call to make Mother's Day a holiday, but his choice as Memorial Day speaker was met with criticism. He was opposed for his racism. But his speech was moderate, stressing national unity and goodwill, and the newspapers, including those who opposed his invitation to speak, praised him. |
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⚫ | In [[Columbus, Mississippi]]at its Decoration Day on April 25, 1866, commemorated both the Union and Confederate casualties buried in its cemetery.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ms/state/didyouknow.htm |title=Did You Know? Little known Mississippi Facts |publisher=US Genealogy Network |accessdate=2010-05-28}}</ref> |
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[[File:fort logan national cemetery 5.jpg|thumb|Flags flying at [[Fort Logan National Cemetery]] during Memorial Day, 2006]] |
[[File:fort logan national cemetery 5.jpg|thumb|Flags flying at [[Fort Logan National Cemetery]] during Memorial Day, 2006]] |
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==Ceremonies== |
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The large cities paid much less attention; their populations did not much remember the Civil War since they grew primarily from European immigration after 1865. Memorial Day was a observed primarily by the the towns and small cities of the North as a sacred day when the war dead are mourned, the spirit of redemptive sacrifice is extolled and pledges to American ideals are renewed. |
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The golden era of Memorial Day was the early 20th century, when aged veterans of the Civil War (who had been born about 1840) paraded through small towns and villages in a day of remembrance. Northern celebrations often included both black and white participants. Memorial Day and other celebratory events attended by black and white veterans frequently pointed to emancipation as a worthy result of the war. |
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By the 1960s the Civil War generation was gone and Memorial Day seemed to be fading, at least in liberal cities. More attention was paid to the Indianapolis auto race, which began in 1895. More people headed to the beaches and parks than to the monuments and cemeteries. |
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Conservatives revived the practice of honoring Memorial Day in the 1980s, under the leadership especially of President [[Ronald Reagan]]. |
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==Name and date== |
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The Civil War so dominated the day that after [[World War I]], the new veterans pushed for their own "Armistice Day", now "Veterans Day" in November. |
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The preferred name gradually changed to "Memorial Day"; in 1971 the date was moved by Congress to the last Monday in May in order to ensure a three-day weekend. It marks the start of summer, just as Labor Day marks the end. |
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The alternative name of "Memorial Day" was first used in 1882. It did not become more common until after [[World War II]], and was not declared the official name by Federal law until 1967. On June 28, 1968, the |
The alternative name of "Memorial Day" was first used in 1882. It did not become more common until after [[World War II]], and was not declared the official name by Federal law until 1967. On June 28, 1968, the Congress passed the [[Uniform Holidays Bill]], which moved three holidays from their traditional dates to a specified Monday in order to create a convenient three-day weekend. The holidays included [[Washington's Birthday]], now celebrated as [[Presidents' Day]]; [[Veterans Day]] and Memorial Day. The change moved Memorial Day from its traditional May 30 date to the last Monday in May. The law took effect at the federal level in 1971. |
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After some initial confusion and unwillingness to comply, all 50 states adopted the measure within a few years. In 1978, Veterans Day was changed back to its traditional date on November 11. Most corporate businesses no longer close on Veterans Day, Columbus Day or President's Day, with the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and/or New Year's Eve often substituted as more convenient "holidays" for their employees. Memorial Day endures as a holiday which most businesses observe because it marks the beginning of the "summer vacation season." This role is filled in neighboring [[Canada]] by [[Victoria Day]], which occurs either on May 24 or the last Monday before that date, placing it exactly one week before Memorial Day. |
After some initial confusion and unwillingness to comply, all 50 states adopted the measure within a few years. In 1978, Veterans Day was changed back to its traditional date on November 11. Most corporate businesses no longer close on Veterans Day, Columbus Day or President's Day, with the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and/or New Year's Eve often substituted as more convenient "holidays" for their employees. Memorial Day endures as a holiday which most businesses observe because it marks the beginning of the "summer vacation season." This role is filled in neighboring [[Canada]] by [[Victoria Day]], which occurs either on May 24 or the last Monday before that date, placing it exactly one week before Memorial Day. |
Revision as of 05:31, 31 May 2010
Memorial Day | |
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The gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery are graced by U.S. flags on Memorial Day weekend. | |
Type | National |
Observances | Remembrance of American war dead |
Date | Last Monday in May |
2023 date | May 29 |
2024 date | May 27 |
2025 date | May 26 |
2026 date | May 25 |
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May (May 27 in 2024). Formerly known as Decoration Day, it commemorates U.S. soldiers who died while in the military service.[1] First enacted to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War (it is celebrated near the day of reunification after the Civil War), it was expanded after World War I.
History
By 1865 the practice of decorating soldiers' graves had become widespread in the North. General John Logan, National Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic--the society of Union Army veterans--called for all GAR posts to celebrate a "Decoration Day" on May 30, 1868. There were events in 183 cemeteries in 27 states in 1868, and 336 in 1869. The northern states quickly adopted the holiday; Michigan made "Decoration Day" an official state holiday in 1871 and by 1890 every northern state followed suit. The ceremonies were sponsored by the Women's Relief Corps, with 100,000 members.
By 1870, the remains of nearly 300,000 Union dead had been buried in 73 national cemeteries, located mostly in the South, near the battlefields. The most famous are the Gettysburg National Cemetery in Pennsylvania and the Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington.
The Memorial Day speech became an occasion for veterans, politicians and ministers to commemorate the war--and at first to rehearse the atrocities of the enemy. They mixed religion and celebratory nationalism and 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, and the point was often made that the Germans 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. By the 1950s, the theme was American exceptionalism and duty to uphold freedom in the world.
First celebrations
In Charleston, South Carolina in 1865 Freedmen (freed slaves) celebrated at the Washington Race Course (today the location of Hampton Park). The site 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 mass grave and reinterred them properly with individual graves. They built a fence around the graveyard with an entry arch and declared it a Union graveyard. On May 1, 1865, a crowd of up to ten thousand, mainly black residents, including 2800 children, proceeded to the location for events that included sermons, singing, and a picnic on the grounds, thereby creating the first Decoration Day.[2]
The first known observance was in Waterloo, New York on May 5, 1866, and each year thereafter. The friendship between General John Murray, a distinguished citizen of Waterloo, and General John A. Logan, who helped bring attention to the event nationwide, 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, a veterans' organization, Logan issued a proclamation that "Decoration Day" be observed nationwide.[3] It was observed for the first time on May 30 of the same year; the date was chosen because it was not the anniversary of a battle. The tombs of fallen Union soldiers were decorated in remembrance.
South
African Americans had their own separate Memorial Days, beginning with a major celebration on May 1, 1865 in Charleston, South Carolina. It was the nation's first Memorial Day.
Beginning in 1866 the Southern states had their own Memorial Day, ranging from April 26 to mid June. The birthday of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, June 3, became a state holiday in 10 states by 1916.
Across the South associations were founded after the War Between the States to establish and care for permanent cemeteries for Confederate soldiers, organize commemorative ceremonies, and sponsor impressive monuments as a permanent way of remembering the Confederate tradition. Women provided the leadership in these associations, paving the way to establish themselves as capable of public leadership.
The earliest Confederate Memorial Day celebrations were simple, sober occasions for veterans and their families to honor the day and attend to local cemeteries. Around 1890, there was a shift from this consolatory emphasis on honoring specific soldiers to public commemoration of the Confederate "Lost Cause." Changes in the ceremony's hymns and speeches reflect an evolution of the ritual into a symbol of cultural renewal and conservatism in the South. By 1913, however, the theme of American nationalism shared equal time with the Lost Cause.
The ceremonies and Memorial Day address at Gettysburg National Park were nationally famous, starting in 1868. However not until 1913, was a Southerner asked to give the main address. In July 1913, veterans of the United States and Confederate armies gathered in Gettysburg to commemorate the fifty-year anniversary of the Civil War's bloodiest and most famous battle. The four-day "Blue-Gray Reunion" featured parades, reenactments, and speeches from a host of dignitaries, including President Woodrow Wilson, the first Southerner in the White House since the War. Congressman James Heflin of Alabama was given the honor of the main address. He was a famous orator; two of his best-known speeches were an endorsement of the Lincoln Memorial and his call to make Mother's Day a holiday, but his choice as Memorial Day speaker was met with criticism. He was opposed for his racism. But his speech was moderate, stressing national unity and goodwill, and the newspapers, including those who opposed his invitation to speak, praised him.
In Columbus, Mississippiat its Decoration Day on April 25, 1866, commemorated both the Union and Confederate casualties buried in its cemetery.[4]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2b/Fort_logan_national_cemetery_5.jpg/220px-Fort_logan_national_cemetery_5.jpg)
Ceremonies
The large cities paid much less attention; their populations did not much remember the Civil War since they grew primarily from European immigration after 1865. Memorial Day was a observed primarily by the the towns and small cities of the North as a sacred day when the war dead are mourned, the spirit of redemptive sacrifice is extolled and pledges to American ideals are renewed.
The golden era of Memorial Day was the early 20th century, when aged veterans of the Civil War (who had been born about 1840) paraded through small towns and villages in a day of remembrance. Northern celebrations often included both black and white participants. Memorial Day and other celebratory events attended by black and white veterans frequently pointed to emancipation as a worthy result of the war.
By the 1960s the Civil War generation was gone and Memorial Day seemed to be fading, at least in liberal cities. More attention was paid to the Indianapolis auto race, which began in 1895. More people headed to the beaches and parks than to the monuments and cemeteries.
Conservatives revived the practice of honoring Memorial Day in the 1980s, under the leadership especially of President Ronald Reagan.
Name and date
The Civil War so dominated the day that after World War I, the new veterans pushed for their own "Armistice Day", now "Veterans Day" in November.
The preferred name gradually changed to "Memorial Day"; in 1971 the date was moved by Congress to the last Monday in May in order to ensure a three-day weekend. It marks the start of summer, just as Labor Day marks the end.
The alternative name of "Memorial Day" was first used in 1882. It did not become more common until after World War II, and was not declared the official name by Federal law until 1967. On June 28, 1968, the Congress passed the Uniform Holidays Bill, which moved three holidays from their traditional dates to a specified Monday in order to create a convenient three-day weekend. The holidays included Washington's Birthday, now celebrated as Presidents' Day; Veterans Day and Memorial Day. The change moved Memorial Day from its traditional May 30 date to the last Monday in May. The law took effect at the federal level in 1971.
After some initial confusion and unwillingness to comply, all 50 states adopted the measure within a few years. In 1978, Veterans Day was changed back to its traditional date on November 11. Most corporate businesses no longer close on Veterans Day, Columbus Day or President's Day, with the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and/or New Year's Eve often substituted as more convenient "holidays" for their employees. Memorial Day endures as a holiday which most businesses observe because it marks the beginning of the "summer vacation season." This role is filled in neighboring Canada by Victoria Day, which occurs either on May 24 or the last Monday before that date, placing it exactly one week before Memorial Day.
Traditional observance
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/MemorialDay42.jpg/220px-MemorialDay42.jpg)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cd/Flickr_-_The_U.S._Army_-_Young_patriot.jpg/220px-Flickr_-_The_U.S._Army_-_Young_patriot.jpg)
Many people observe this holiday by visiting cemeteries and memorials. A national moment of remembrance takes place at 3 p.m. local time. Another tradition is to fly the flag of the United States at half-staff from dawn until noon local time. Volunteers often place American flags on each grave site at National Cemeteries.
Members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars take donations[5] for poppies in the days leading up to Memorial Day; the poppy's significance to Memorial Day is the result of the John McCrae poem "In Flanders Fields." gatherings, and sporting events. One of the longest-standing traditions is the running of the Indianapolis 500, an auto race which has been held in conjunction with Memorial Day since 1911. The Coca-Cola 600 has been held later the same day since 1961.
The National Memorial Day Concert takes place on the west lawn of the United States Capitol. The concert is broadcast on PBS and NPR. Music is performed, and respect is paid to the men and women who gave their lives for their country.
Some Americans view Memorial Day as the unofficial beginning of summer and Labor Day as the unofficial end of the season.
Memorial Day formerly was observed on May 30. The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) advocate returning to this fixed date, although the significance of the date is tenuous. The VFW stated in a 2002 Memorial Day Address:
Changing the date merely to create three-day weekends has undermined the very meaning of the day. No doubt, this has contributed a lot to the general public's nonchalant observance of Memorial Day.[6]
Since 1987, Hawaii's Senator Daniel Inouye, a World War II veteran, has repeatedly introduced measures to return Memorial Day to its traditional date.
Ironton, Ohio lays claim to the nation's oldest continuously running Memorial Day parade, it has been a tradition since 1868. The first parade was held May 5, 1868.
In literature and music
Charles Ives's symphonic poem "Decoration Day" depicted the holiday as he experienced it in his childhood, with his father's band leading the way to the town cemetery, the playing of "Taps" on a trumpet, and a livelier march tune on the way back to the town. It is frequently played with three other Ives works based on holidays as the second movement of A New England Holidays Symphony.
See also
- Anzac Day
- Armistice Day
- Confederate Memorial Day
- Red poppy
- Remembrance Day
- Remembrance of the Dead also known as Nationale Dodenherdenking
- Remembrance Sunday
- South Korea Memorial Day
- Veterans Day
- Volkstrauertag
- A Great Jubilee Day, held in 1782 to commemorate the end of the Revolutionary War
- Newfoundland and Labrador Memorial Day
- Nora Fontaine Davidson, credited with the first Memorial Day ceremony in Petersburg, Virginia, and as the inspiration for the United States' Memorial Day.
References
- ^ "Memorial Day". United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved 2010-05-28.
- ^ Brian Hicks (May 24, 2009). "The First Memorial Day". The Post and Courier. Retrieved 2010-05-28.
- ^ "Logan's Order Mandating Memorial Day: General Order #11". Retrieved 2010-05-28.
- ^ "Did You Know? Little known Mississippi Facts". US Genealogy Network. Retrieved 2010-05-28.
- ^ "The story behind the poppy". Caledonia Mumford. Retrieved 2010-05-28.
- ^ Mechant, David (April 28, 2007). "Memorial Day History". Retrieved 2010-05-28.