Memorial Day is an
American holiday that honors men
and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official Federal holiday in 1971. Many Americans celebrate Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings and participating in parades.
and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official Federal holiday in 1971. Many Americans celebrate Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings and participating in parades.
The Civil War claimed
more lives than any conflict in U.S. history, requiring the establishment of
the country's first national cemeteries. By the late 1860's Americans in
various towns and cities had begun holding springtime tributes to these
countless fallen soldiers, decorating their graves with flowers and
reciting prayers.
In 1966 the Federal
Government declared Waterloo, New York, the official birthplace of Memorial
Day. Waterloo was chosen because it hosted an annual, community-wide event.
During this event, businesses would close and residents would decorate graves of
soldiers with flowers and flags.
soldiers with flowers and flags.
For decades, Memorial
Day was observed on May 30, but in
1968 Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which
established Memorial Day as the last Monday in May in order to create a three-day weekend for federal employees. This change
went into effect in 1971 and this same law declared Memorial
Day as a federal holiday.
1968 Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which
established Memorial Day as the last Monday in May in order to create a three-day weekend for federal employees. This change
went into effect in 1971 and this same law declared Memorial
Day as a federal holiday.
