Memorial day was born out of necessity.
Decoration day slaves. The war was over and decoration day had been founded by african americans in a ritual of remembrance and consecration. It was may 1 1865 but they called it decoration day. Memorial day and its traditions may have ancient roots. One of the earliest memorial day ceremonies was held by freed slaves.
In may 1868 former civil war general john a. Yale university historian david blight places the first memorial day in april 1865 when a group of former slaves gathered at a charleston s c horse track turned confederate prison where. The holiday is now observed on the last monday of may having been observed on may 30 from 1868 to 1970. The first known observance of decoration day now called memorial day was in charleston south carolina in 1865.
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. The l a times published an illustrated history about the first decoration day in sunday s paper may 24 2015 page a31 it was a whole page presentation. It was a long road from decoration day to an official memorial. The war they had boldly announced had been all about the triumph of their emancipation over a slaveholders republic and not about state rights defense of home nor merely soldiers valor and sacrifice.
On that day former charleston slaves started a tradition that would come to be known as memorial day. Many people visit cemeteries and memorials on memorial day to honor and. 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. Logan led a commemoration at arlington national cemetery issuing a proclamation calling for decoration day to be observed each may 30 across the.
Memorial day previously but now seldom called decoration day is a federal holiday in the united states for honoring and mourning the military personnel who have died while serving in the united states armed forces.