![]() The intention of this was to ensure Memorial Day remained a sober moment to respect the armed services and prevent the sober occasion from becoming simply a reason to enjoy a three-day weekend. Then in 2010, the American Legion wrote a resolution calling for Memorial Day to be returned to May 30. This change occured in 1971, which at the same time also designated Memorial Day as a federal holiday. The May 30 date held for decades and Congress in 1968 passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, establishing Memorial Day as the final Monday in May to create a three-day weekend for federal employees. America will never forget their sacrifices.” MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images Is Memorial Day a Federal Holiday? Truman once said: “Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be repaid. The graves of war veterans are seen during the annual 'Flag Placement Ceremony' to honor the fallen for Memorial Day at the Los Angeles National Cemetery, California on May 25, 2019. "These days of decorating graves gradually evolved into more public ceremonies, with speeches and parades." "For the North, the big organization of Union veterans, the Grand Army of the Republic, in 1868 called for a Memorial Day every May 30." "It's a sign of the continuing divide in the country after the war that southern states for a long time had their own 'Confederate' Memorial Days, most commonly on the anniversary of the death of Stonewall Jackson (May 10) or the birth of Jefferson Davis (June 3). These were often originally called 'Decoration Days'. Most of these were planned and carried out by women. He told Newsweek: "Historically, the day is rooted in the pretty simple ceremonies, soon after the Civil War ended, to decorate the graves of soldiers who had died in the war. Memorial Day is an occasion to somberly reflect upon the ultimate sacrifice made by America's service members and honor those who died serving their country.īill Harris, Professor of History at the University of New Hampshire, notes this tradition, stretching back before the Declaration of Independence, has occasionally been mired in controversy.
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