The holiday originated after
the American Civil War to commemorate the Union and Confederate soldiers who died in the Civil War, and it was later
extended to honor all Americans who have died while in military service. It was
General John Alexander Logan who was instrumental in declaring a special day in
May to be reserved to honor fallen Union soldiers who died during the Civil War
(1861-1865). However, it was not until the 1880s that the term Memorial Day was assigned. And it was
not until 1967 that the holiday was legally recognized as Memorial Day.
President James A. Garfield
was the first president to speak on Memorial Day (then Decoration Day) while he
was a Civil War General and Republican Congressman. On May 30,
1868, he spoke at Arlington
National Cemetary, saying: "“If silence is ever golden, it must be beside
the graves of 15,000 men, whose lives were more significant than speech, and
whose death was a poem the music of which can never be sung.”
Each May, Memorial Day is
the time when people visit cemeteries and memorials, and place flowers on the
graves of their deceased service members as well as on the graves of their
loved ones. Volunteers and cemetery personnel place flags on the graves of
those who have served.
