Memorial Day

views updated

MEMORIAL DAY

MEMORIAL DAY (May 30), or Decoration Day, began in 1868 when members of the Grand Army of the Republic heeded the request of their commander, General John A. Logan, to decorate the graves of their fallen compatriots. It has since become the day on which the United States honors the dead of all its wars and is observed as a legal holiday in most states. National services


are held at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington, Virginia. In 2000 President Bill Clinton asked the nation to endorse a humanitarian organization's addition of a moment of silence to the holiday, designating 3 p.m. local time for a minute of quiet reflection on the meaning of America's war dead.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Litwicki, Ellen M. America's Public Holidays, 1865–1920. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 2000.

SeddieCogswell/h. s.

See alsoHolidays and Festivals ; Nationalism .

More From encyclopedia.com

About this article

Memorial Day

Updated About encyclopedia.com content Print Article

Related Content