Memorial Day (originally called Decoration Day) honors the men and women who have died while serving in the American military, and this is the day our country comes together to honor those who "gave their all." While there are many claims to the beginnings of Memorial Day, it was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868, by General John Logan. It was officially observed on May 30, 1868, at Arlington National Cemetery, where a speech was given by General James Garfield and 5,000 participants decorated the graves of more than 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried in the cemetery who died in the American Civil War.
By 1890, Memorial Day was recognized by all of the northern states. The south refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days (you have to read the history of the Civil War!) It wasn't until after World War I, that we began honoring those who died in all of America's wars.
In 1971, Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday to be celebrated the last Monday in May. Today, Memorial Day is celebrated at Arlington National Cemetery with a ceremony in which a small American flag is placed on each grave. It is customary for the President or Vice-President to give a speech honoring the contributions of the dead and lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Below I've given you some brief descriptions of the underlined words. I hope you'll take what I've given you and do some more research on your own about the causes of the war, the conditions of the war, and which general surrendered to whom. Check out americancivilwar.com.
Arlington National Cemetery: This is the United States' national burial ground, located in Arlington county, Virginia, on the Potomac River directly opposite Washington, D.C. (our nation's capital).
Arlington National Cemetery: This is the United States' national burial ground, located in Arlington county, Virginia, on the Potomac River directly opposite Washington, D.C. (our nation's capital).
General James Garfield: Sworn in as our 20th president in March 1881. In July, he was shot by an assassin and died from his wounds less than three months later.
American Civil War: (Also called the War Between the States): Lasted from 1861 to 1865. Abraham Lincoln, our 16th president, was in office (many historians consider him to have been the greatest American president). Ulysses S. Grant was the final commander of the Union Army, and Robert E. Lee was the commander of the Confederate Army. 620,000 soldiers (260,000 Confederate and 360,000 Union) were killed, 280,000 Union soldiers were injured, and the population and territory of the South was devastated. Since the American population was 34 million at the time, 2% of the population died in war. The Civil War had the highest casualty ratio of any war in which American has been involved.
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier: Throughout history, many soldiers have died in wars without their remains being identified. Following the First World War, a movement arose to honor the memory of these soldiers with a single tomb. On March 4, 1921, Congress approved the burial of an unidentified American soldier from World War I. The tomb bears the words: "Beneath this stone rests a soldier of Washington's army who died to give you liberty." Sculpted into the east panel which faces Washington, D.C., are three Greek figures representing Peace, Victory, and Valor.
Here's a famous quote on history: Not to know what has been transacted in former times is to be always a child. If no use is made of the labors of past ages, the world must remain always in the infancy of knowledge.
—Marcus Tulius Cicero (106-43 BC, writer, politician and great Roman orator)
