Memorial Day has a history dating back to the days following the end of the American Civil War. When it ended, it became painfully obvious that we needed a way to commemorate all those who paid the ultimate sacrifice in war. Five years of the single bloodiest war in our history, the United States was faced with with the task of burying and honoring the 600,000 to 800,000 Union and Confederate soldiers who had died.
Long before our nation created an official National Memorial Day, there were many towns, cities and groups across America that observed their own versions of Memorial Day. One of the earliest was a commemoration organized by a group of Black Americans, less than a month after the Confederacy surrendered in 1865, before a crowd of 10,000 (see: https://www.history.com/news/memorial-d ... charleston)
Originally known as Decoration Day, Memorial Day began with an idea from General John Logan as a way to honor the fallen soldiers of the Civil War. The first celebration on May 30, 1868, was held at Arlington National Cemetery before a crowd of 5,000, by people decorating the graves of over 20,000 military personnel with flowers.
It wasn’t until after World War I that Memorial Day was expanded to honor all veterans who died in any American war. In 1971, Decoration Day became officially known as Memorial Day and Congress passed an act declaring it a national holiday.
Memorial day this year will fall on Monday May 30, 2022. We hope everyone will take time to honor all American Veterans who gave their lives in sacrifice to our nation.
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