Putting the 'memorial' in Memorial Day: How the holiday evolved over time
Though it falls nearly a month before summer actually begins, many consider Memorial Day as the unofficial kickoff to summer. On May 27, folks will be firing up the grill and enjoying a day off work, but the holiday has “memorial” in its name for a reason.
The first national observance of Memorial Day came courtesy of Gen. John A. Logan, commander in chief of the Grand Army of the Republic. On May 5, 1868, Logan issued General Order No. 11 calling for a national day of remembrance for Union soldiers killed in action:
"The 30th day of May, 1868 is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion... (II) It is the purpose of the commander in chief to inaugurate this observance with the hope that it will be kept up from year to year..."
The new holiday was called Decoration Day and it is believed that May 30 was chosen because flowers would be in bloom across the nation.
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Honoring soldiers killed in other American wars wasn’t commonplace until after World War I. Also, the name Memorial Day became more widely used than Decoration Day after World War II, but wasn’t declared the official name by federal law until 1967.
On June 28, 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, moving Memorial Day from its traditional date to the last Monday in May and creating a three-day weekend for federal employees. The law took effect at the federal level in 1971.
To guarantee that the sacrifices of America’s fallen heroes are never forgotten, Congress passed and President Bill Clinton signed into law the National Moment of Remembrance Act in 2000. On Memorial Day, Americans are urged to pause at 3 p.m. for a minute of silence to remember those who died serving their country.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: How, why and when Memorial Day began as a national holiday in 1868
