What is the History of Memorial Day?
Through the years, there have been several myths and legends about Memorial Day. Here is a (Somewaht) brief and authentic history of Memorial Day.
How did Memorial Day Begin?
Decoration Day
What was General Logan’s Concept of Memorial Day?
On 5 May 1868, shortly after the end of the US Civil War, Major General John A. Logan proposed the designation of a day (30 May) set aside to honor those who military members who perished in combat.
The original premise centered on bestowing the most beautiful flowers as decoration for the gravesites of the deceased service members. Most historians think that early organizers chose this time of year specifically because of the plentiful nature of flowers blooming at that time of year throughout the nation.
Who was Major General John A. Logan?
MG Logan was the leader of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), a group of Union veterans. He suggested that the resting places of the fallen service members should be adorned “with the choicest flowers of springtime.”
When did Decoration Day Became a National Holiday?
Arlington National Cemetery, adjacent to the Potomac River in Washington, DC, was the first organized and large-scale Decoration Day site. Arlington was home to the former mansion of Gen. Robert E. Lee. Volunteers carefully swathed the exterior of the home in tastefully festooned draperies to reflect the day’s solemn nature.
Local and federal government officials, other dignitaries, and notables attended and delivered speeches, while Gen. and Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant directed the observance. The very first Memorial Day hosted a crowd of around 5,000 people, which is about the same as modern times.
Once the formal portion of the ceremony was concluded, GAR members with youngsters from the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Orphan Home sang hymns or delivered prayerful soliloquies as they walked through the cemetery and decorated the graves of Union and Confederate warriors with beautiful blooms and small flags.
Most National Cemeteries continue to place flags on the graves of military service members. Even though Memorial Day’s primary focus is to honor those who died in war, or from injuries sustained from combat, through the years, some people use the occasion to visit, beautify, and adorn the graves of other loved ones as well.
Visiting the graves of military members or civilians who died outside of combat is perfectly acceptable so long as folks take a moment to acknowledge The True Meaning of Memorial Day.
Where is the First Site of Memorial Day?
Many Cities Claim to Have the First Memorial Day Observation
Many places throughout the North and the South had already begun hosting ceremonies to honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the Civil War. The citizens of Columbus, Mississippi, were reportedly one of the earliest to gather in remembrance on 25 April 1866.
The history of this occasion began when several local ladies came together to place flowers on the tombstones of the Confederate soldiers who met their sad fate at the famous battle of Shiloh. Amid their work, the bare and neglected graves of nearby Union soldiers moved the ladies who extended their offering of decorative blooms to the resting place of these warriors, as well.
One compelling bit of evidence involves a hymn published in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1867 by Nella L. Sweet entitled “Kneel Where Our Loves are Sleeping.” The song’s dedicatee is “Ladies of the South who are Decorating the Graves of the Confederate Dead” (Source: Historic American Sheet Music, 1850-1920; David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University).
Meanwhile, as people began to recognize the need to honor their war dead in their communities, over two dozen cities (mostly in the South, but some in the North as well) also laid claim as the originators of Memorial Day in the 1800s, including two cities in Georgia, (Columbus and Macon); Richmond, Virginia; Boalsburg, PA; Carbondale IL and several other notable locations. Carbondale was also the home of MG Logan, and that city has a marker that proclaims the first-ever Decoration Day occurred there on 29 April 1866.
Where is the Official Birthplace of Memorial Day Designated?
The US Congress, along with President Lyndon Johnson, proclaimed in 1966 that Waterloo, NY was the official originator of Memorial Day. President Johnson’s choice was based on of the well-organized nature of their 5 May 1866 ceremony held in honor of Civil War Veterans, which included flying flags at half-staff and closing businesses. Proponents of Waterloo as the “birthplace of Memorial Day” protested that the gatherings of other towns were less formal, or only occurred once.
Which City or Community has the Longest Observance of Memorial Day?
Again, there are multiple claimants to this distinction.
Citizens of Rochester, WI have hosted a Memorial Day parade each year since 1867 and claim that their city has the distinction of being the oldest continuously running parade in the United States. Grafton, WV, and Doylestown, PA have both hosted Memorial Day parades continuously since 1868.
Regardless of who has the first or longest celebration, the significant point is that grateful citizens came together to make Memorial Day a reality.
When did Memorial Day Activities Catch On?
Within a few decades, many US cities, states, and communities held official Memorial Day observances routinely on the 30th of May. Many state and local governments enacted legislation or proclamations to make the observance official. The US Navy and US Army also drafted regulations to guide service members regarding proper ceremonial style for Memorial Day activities.
After World War I, officials extended Memorial Day to include Fallen service members from ALL American Wars.
The name “Memorial Day” became was first utilized in 1882 and eventually overtook the phrase “Decoration Day” in popularity in the years after World War II. “Memorial Day” became official in 1967.
After Congress approved the Uniform Monday Holiday Act in 1968, officials shifted Memorial Day and three other federally designated holidays from their traditional dates to a specific Monday to offer participants a three-day weekend. 1971 marked the year that national officials federally implemented this law, and this was when Memorial Day changed to the last Monday of each May.
Initially, some states and communities were less than enthusiastic about the change, and considerable confusion existed concerning the new time frame for observing Memorial Day. Eventually, all of the US states agreed to honor their fallen heroes on the same day as the federally designated Memorial Day.
Why did People forget the True Meaning of Memorial Day?
Memorial Day Activities Shifted
Over the years, (especially after the implementation of the new three-day weekend /Memorial Day), some enterprising Americans decided to integrate other less military-centric activities into the “long weekend.”
For example, from 1911 to 1974, race officials held the Indianapolis 500 on our around Memorial Day weekend. But more recently, the race is held on the Sunday prior to Memorial Day. Additionally, officials with the Coca-Cola 600 stock car race schedule also schedule their event for the same afternoon.
Since 1976, The PGA Tour golf tournament called the “Memorial Tournament” is typically held on (or in close proximity) to the Memorial Day weekend.
Do these events take the time to honor the Fallen Service Members? Perhaps, but a quick review of “The Memorial’s” (golf) website indicates that organizers do take the time to talk about the famous golfers they honor. However, there is zero (obvious) mention of fallen heroes (as of May 2020). The name is even called “THE MEMORIAL” – How hypocritical is that?
These are but a few of the many enterprises which have hopped on the Memorial Day weekend and helped to water down and diffuse The True Meaning of Memorial Day.
Is Memorial Day the Kick-Off to Summer?
The three-day weekend became the unofficial “kickoff to summer,” however advocates for Memorial Day noted even before this observance became a three day weekend, some Americans seemed to fall short of the appropriate level of reverence for our Fallen heroes.
Members of the GAR noted that people were increasingly less respectful or knowledgeable of The True Meaning of Memorial Day. A veteran from Indiana suggested that younger persons who came along after the cessation of the World Wars exhibited a “tendency … to forget the purpose of Memorial Day and make it a day for games, races, and revelry, instead of a day of memory and tears.”
Members of the GAR also expressed displeasure regarding large-scale events coinciding with Memorial Day. Legislators proposed prohibiting promoters of the race from scheduling the event in conjunction with Memorial Day. GAR members supported these measures, but the newly formed American Legion and other local officials advocated for the race to continue. Warren McCray, Governor of Indiana, vetoed the proposal.
Have People Forgotten What Memorial Day Means?
Things have gone steadily downhill in the last 100 or even 50 years. Gradually people started with small excuses for why skipping Memorial Day traditions was okay. However, soon, these small omissions turned into failure to teach future generations and eventually a full-scale breakdown of the traditions and memories that make Memorial Day meaningful.
Hopefully, now Americans will strive to make Memorial Day meaningful in all the ways originally intended. Even a simple acknowledgment or a brief moment to remember the Fallen helps alleviate the strain of correcting people for our Gold Star families and our living service members.
Which States Have Confederate Memorial Day Observances?
Many states set aside a designated day for honoring their Confederate service members. Some places still call the occasion “Decoration Day.”
- Mississippi: last Monday of April
- Alabama: on the fourth Monday of April
- Georgia: on 26 April
- North and South Carolina: 10 May
- Louisiana: 3 June
- Tennessee: “Confederate Decoration Day” 3 June
- Texas: “Confederate Heroes Day” 19 January
- Virginia: “Confederate Memorial Day” Last Monday in May
Legacy of Memorials through the Ages
Instances of grateful citizens honoring those who died in combat are found throughout antiquity and beyond. The Athenian leader Pericles offered a tribute to the fallen heroes of the Peloponnesian War over 24 centuries ago that could be applied today to the 1.1 million Americans who have died in the nation’s wars: “Not only are they commemorated by columns and inscriptions, but there dwells also an unwritten memorial of them, graven not on stone but in the hearts of men.”
The National Moment of Remembrance Act
To inspire Americans to recognize the sacrifices of our fallen heroes, in December 2000, officials created “The National Moment of Remembrance Act,” P.L. 106-579, and establishing the White House Commission on the National Moment of Remembrance.
The commission’s charter is to “encourage the people of the United States to give something back to their country, which provides them so much freedom and opportunity” by encouraging and coordinating commemorations in the United States of Memorial Day and the National Moment of Remembrance.
The National Moment of Remembrance encourages all Americans to pause wherever they are at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day for a minute of silence to remember and honor those who have died in service to the nation. As Moment of Remembrance founder Carmella LaSpada states: “It’s a way we can all help put the memorial back in Memorial Day.”
