Memorial Day started out as Decoration Day shortly after the Civil War which was the first American war to claim so many lives that it initiated the first federal cemetery system.
The earliest recorded observance of a “Memorial Day” is believed to have been by a group of freed slaves in Charleston, South Carolina less than a month after the Confederacy surrendered in 1865. It would place that first “Memorial Day” sometime in the month of May.
Other recorded observances were taking place in 1866 in the spring. General John A. Logan, the leader for the Civil War veterans group, the Grand Army of the Republic, issued a proclamation in 1968 designating May 30 as the official day to honor those who had fallen during the Civil War.
The custom grew and by the 19th Century, many communities across the country had Memorial Day celebrations. In 1971, the federal government declared “Memorial Day” a national holiday to be celebrated the last Monday of the month of May.
Americans mark the day by visiting the graves of servicemen (and later service women) who had perished in the line of duty. It was referred to as “Decoration Day” from the custom of placing flowers , mementos and flags on the graves of service men, but then began to include the graves of family and loved ones.
