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Memorial day was started by former slaves on may 1 1865 in charleston sc to honor 257 dead union soldiers who had been buried in a mass grave in a confederate prison camp.
Decoration day confederate. Some southern states still celebrate confederate memorial day. States on various dates since the end of the civil war to remember the estimated 258 000 confederate soldiers who have died in military service. It gives people a chance to honor and remember the confederate soldiers who died or were wounded during the american civil war during the 1860s. By the late 19th century with the rise of the lost cause ideology in the south the south was celebrating confederate memorial day.
United states holidays 2020. The holiday is observed in late april in many states to recall the. This separation largely died out in the 20th century especially with the change in name of the northern form of the holiday from decoration day to memorial day and then the creation of a special monday holiday for memorial day in 1968. On the first decoration day general james garfield made a speech at arlington national cemetery after which 5 000 participants helped to decorate the graves of the more than 20 000 civil war.
Memorial day was born out of necessity. On may 5 1868 logan ordered the first nationwide public holiday on may 30 then known as decoration day to honor war dead. Confederate memorial day is a state holiday in some states in the united states. Confederate memorial day called confederate heroes day in texas and florida and confederate decoration day in tennessee is a cultural holiday observed in several southern u s.
The holiday is now observed on the last monday of may having been observed on may 30 from 1868 to 1970. Many people visit cemeteries and memorials on memorial day to honor and. Mississippi celebrates confederate memorial day on the last monday of april alabama on the fourth monday of april and georgia on april 26. United states holidays 2021.
North and south carolina observe it on may 10 louisiana on june 3 and tennessee calls that date confederate decoration day. After the american civil war a battered united states was faced with the task of burying and honoring the 600 000 to 800 000 union and confederate soldiers.