History of Memorial Day
| One of the most important national holidays in the US is Memorial Day. This day is dedicated to the brave soldiers who laid down their lives in service of the nation. It is also known as Decoration Day. However, the beginnings of this day can be traced to the many towns and people gathering that took place to honor those who died in the American War of Independence. |
It was first declared as a day to honor martyred soldiers by General John Logan on May 5, 1868. Flowers and wreaths were placed on the Confederate soldiers graves at the Arlington National Cemetery.
In 1873, Memorial Day was taken as a national holiday for the first time. Soon all the northern States also began to recognize it in the same way. Southern States did not follow this practice, and they observed a different day to honor their dead soldiers which continued to be practiced even after the First World War.
Officially, Waterloo N.Y. has been declared as the origin of Memorial Day. This was done by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966. In 1968, the Uniform Holidays' Bill was passed by the United States Congress. This bill moved three important national holidays -- Presidents' Day; Veterans' Day and Memorial Day from their usually observed days to a specific day in the year in order to allow people to have a 3-day weekend. As part of this bill, Memorial Day began to be commemorated on the last Monday in the month of May. This bill came into effect in 1971.
Today, Memorial Day is celebrated by every State in the US. It is commemorated on last Monday in the month of May. Southern States still have a different day to honor their dead soldiers, but they too observe this day, like all other States.
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