What is Memorial Day about?

Source: Public Domain Pictures

Memorial Day honors the U.S. members of the military who have died in active duty. Here’s what you should know about the holiday:

• One of the first commemorations of the day took place on May 1, 1865, soon after the end of the Civil War as 1,000 recently freed slaves who were with regiments of the U.S. Colored Troops and some white Charlestonians gathered in the camp to consecrate a new burial site for the Union dead. The group sang hymns, gave readings and offered flowers to the fallen soldiers around the cemetery.
• Previously known as Decoration Day, the day first included ceremonies from more than 27 states with more than 5,000 people showing at an Arlington National Cemetery ceremony.
• By 1890, every former state of the Union had adopted the day as an official holiday.
• For more than 50 years, the day only honored those killed in the Civil War.
• It wasn’t until the U.S. entered World War I that the holiday honored everyone who served and died.
• Memorial Day wasn’t officially recognized nationwide until the 1970s, in the middle of the Vietnam War.
• There are more than 20 U.S. towns that claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day.
• However, the only town with the official seal of approval from the U.S. government as the birthplace of the day is Waterloo, New York, according to a legislation passed by President Lyndon Johnson in 1966.