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Why do we celebrate Memorial Day?


Why do we celebrate Memorial Day?

Scout leader Cameron Vieyra finishes placing the last flags at the Graves of Fallen Heroes at Harbor Lawn Memorial Park Veterans' Memorial in Costa Mesa Sunday in preparation for today's Memorial Day event.

One of the lesser-known legacies of the Civil War is Memorial Day.

The holiday has its roots in local commemorations of the fallen soldiers of that war. The first Memorial Day observances were noted for being organized by Americans who were unable to fully participate in the conflict: women and African Americans.

One of the most important precursors to Memorial Day was a May 1, 1865, Decoration Day event in in Charleston, S.C., organized by freedman's relief organizations and formerly enslaved people. The event was orchestrated by the African American citizens of Charleston to mark and decorate the graves of the 257 Union prisoners who died at the Charleston Race Course, which had been converted to a Confederate prison. Thousands of freedmen gathered to decorate the graves with flowers and beautify the graveyard.

During the Civil War, women began decorating soldiers' graves with flowers. By the end of the war, it had become a spring tradition in many cities.

On May 5, 1868, the Grand Army of the Republic, a veterans fraternal organization, called for a national Memorial Day celebration, although it did not become a federal holiday until 1971. Many Americans still visit family gravesites with flowers on the last weekend in May, though for many the holiday has come to mean the beginning of summer, cookouts, and a day to spend relaxing with loved ones.

Source: Ryan Lintelman, project assistant for Civil War 150 initiatives at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian


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