Most people know Memorial Day as a time to gather around with friends and family and have a barbeque, a day off of work, or even the start of summer. Though people tend to forget the meaning of Memorial Day; why we get this day off to celebrate with others, how it’s not just the start of summer and the end of the school year. In 1971, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act and established that Memorial Day was a federal holiday to be celebrated the last Monday of May in honor of U.S Military soldiers who died while serving. Though, there is more history to the holiday than that. 

Let’s go back to Charleston, South Carolina 1865. Following the Civil War, formerly enslaved people held one the earliest to date springtime tribute in honor and proper burial of the fallen soldiers of the Civil War. This was the first time in history groups of people gathered together in the spring time to commemorate fallen soldiers. This was seen again in Waterloo, New York May 5, 1866, the official birthplace of Memorial Day as it was a widespread community event where businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of local veterans to commemorate those who passed away in battle. The next milestone for Memorial Day was on May 30, 1868 when General John A. Logan, commander of the Union veterans’ group known as the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), officially established Decoration Day, now known as Memorial Day. This was the first national observance of this holiday and was likely chosen because spring flowers were in full bloom. After World War I, it became an occasion for honoring those who died in all of America’s wars and became more recognized as a national holiday throughout the states. Then in 1971, Memorial Day became what everyone knows it as: federal holiday and a day to celebrate. Many people may not know that every Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery, there is a ceremony held in which a small U.S flag is placed on each fallen soldier’s grave and traditionally, the President or Vice President lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (a grave for all U.S. service members whose remains have not been identified). Though Memorial Day is a day to celebrate, everyone should take a moment to remember why we celebrate such an important holiday.