Memorial Day’s origins go back to U.S. Civil War
Although Memorial Day as it is now observed is often viewed as a day to honor veterans and increasingly others who serve their communities, it is actually a day to remember those who gave their lives in military service to the country. The origins go back to the years following the Civil War and the observance was to honor the memory of those who died in that war.
Veteran’s Day, a day to honor all veterans, grew out of World War I observances of Armistice Day.
It is unclear where the Memorial Day observance began as it likely was held independently in numerous communities.
It is known that one of the earliest gatherings to honor those who died in the Civil War was in Charleston, South Carolina in 1865 and had been organized by a group of former slaves, less than a month after the Confederacy surrendered.
In 1966, the federal government declared that Waterloo, N.Y. was the official birthplace of Memorial Day because on May 5, 1866, it first hosted what became an annual community-wide event, during which businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of soldiers with flowers and flags.
It was on May 5, 1868, that Gen. John A. Logan, leader of an organization for northern Civil War veterans, called for a nationwide observance of a day of remembrance for those who died and set the date for May 30.
Logan called it Decoration Day as the purpose was strewing flowers or decorating the graves of “those who died in defense of the county during the recent rebellion.”
On that first Decoration Day, Gen. James Garfield gave a speech at Arlington National Cemetery and 5,000 people gathered to decorate the graves of the 20,000 Civil War soldiers buried there.
Similar events were soon held in many northern states and by 1890 each of those states had made Decoration Day a state holiday. In the south, events were also held, but on separate days until after World War I.
In the early years, the day was specifically to honor those who died in the Civil War. But early in the 20th century the United States became embroiled in another conflict, World War I, and the holiday came to also honor those who died in that conflict.
In ensuing years, the holiday has continued to evolve as it came to commemorate all who died in war, including World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam, and the later wars of Iraq and Afghanistan.
For many years the event was observed on May 30 as Gen. Logan had decreed but in 1968 Congress established the date as the last Monday in May to create a three-day weekend for federal employees. It also declared that Memorial Day be a federal holiday.