What Happened the Last Monday in May – The History of Memorial Day

Maryann Holloway:

Re logging my post from Memorial Day last year.

Originally posted on IF I ONLY HAD A TIME MACHINE:

Celebrated annually on the last Monday in May, Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday where the men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the armed forces are remembered.  It was formerly known as Decoration Day and originated after the American Civil War in honor of the Union and Confederate soldiers who died in the war.

Originally called Decoration Day, the holiday was created to commemorate the roughly 625,000 Union and Confederate soldiers who died during the Civil War.

This honor was extended to all Americans who died while in military service.  It is thought of as the unofficial start of the summer vacation season an idea that I think blurs the real reason for the holiday but that seems to happened with most holidays.

Decoration Day Parade (detail), Brownsville, Texas,
Robert Runyon, photographer, 1916.
The South Texas Border, 1900-1920

Many people visit cemeteries and…

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