Memorial Day in the U.S. is a Federal Holiday dedicated to those military personnel who died in service to our country. Dating back to the Civil War in the 1860s, it went by a different name— Decoration Day—named for the tradition of decorating soldiers’ graves with flowers and flags.
It evolved to what is known as Memorial Day following World War I. Decoration Day originally honored only Civil War soldiers, but the holiday took on a greater meaning for all fallen U.S. service members as the United States entered its next major conflict: World War I.
The American Civil War represented an unprecedented conflict in the United States, and it claimed more lives than any other U.S. war. Many lost loved ones whom they sought to honor and remember, and people often showed their love by laying flowers on their soldiers’ graves. Communities gathered together to mourn their losses, leading to Decoration Day, now known as Memorial Day.
Memorial Day was originally held in May to remember soldiers who died in the Civil War, which ended in the spring of 1865. May 30th was believed to be chosen because flowers would be in full bloom to decorate graves. It was later moved to the last Monday in May to allow for a three-day weekend.
Who really started Memorial Day? According to the University of Washington, John A. Logan, the leader of a Union veteran society, is often hailed as the person who started Memorial Day. He first called for May 30th to become a national holiday in 1868 to remember those “whose bodies now lay in rest in almost every city, village, and hamlet churchyard in the land.” By 1890, every northern state had made Decoration Day an official holiday. However, dozens of others could claim to have started Memorial Day. In reality, it probably formed gradually over time as individuals, communities, and traditions morphed together.
Early Memorial Day celebrations include a gathering of 10,000 former slaves on May 1, 1965, following the conclusion of the Civil War. They honored 257 Union Soldiers who were buried in a mass grave. In Waterloo, New York, sometimes referred to as the birthplace of Memorial Day, community-wide events were held for the holiday beginning in 1866. The event involved the entire community decorating graves with flowers and flags, even closing businesses to observe the day. Mary Ann Williams of the Ladies Memorial Association of Columbus also called for a national holiday in March of 1866. Several southern states started celebrating on April 26 after her letter to the women in the South.
No matter who began the tradition of honoring our soldiers killed in the line of duty, it was well received and celebrated across the nation for remembrance and appreciation for the greatest sacrifice for American freedoms.
