Memorial Day and the Meaning of American Reconciliation
Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, was established to honor the dead from the Civil War and promote reconciliation. The holiday's origins date back to 1866 when women in Mississippi decorated the graves of both Confederate and Union soldiers. Over time, Memorial Day evolved to commemorate all American military personnel who died in various conflicts and became a federally recognized holiday in 1971.
- ▪Memorial Day was founded shortly after the Civil War, which resulted in over 620,000 deaths.
- ▪The holiday began with women in Columbus, Mississippi, decorating the graves of both Confederate and Union soldiers.
- ▪In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, making Memorial Day a federally observed holiday on the last Monday in May.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
If the last few generations of Americans understood the origin and meaning of Memorial Day, we might have avoided the trauma of division and corruption that saps Americans from living in peace, trust, and joy. Memorial Day was founded on the biblical ideals of forgiveness and reconciliation shortly after America’s most divisive and bloody conflict, the Civil War, which extended from 1861 to 1865. That conflict cost at least 620,000 men, more casualties than all of America’s other wars combined — the two World Wars, the Korean and Vietnamese Wars and the Middle East wars.The United States was so mercilessly divided at the time of the Civil War that many thought reconciliation impossible.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.
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