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77-558: Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day ) is one of the federal holidays in the United States for honoring and mourning the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces . It is observed on the last Monday of May. Memorial Day is also considered the unofficial beginning of summer in the United States. It is a day for visiting cemeteries and memorials to mourn

154-571: A "tendency ... to forget the purpose of Memorial Day and make it a day for games, races, and revelry, instead of a day of memory and tears". In 1911 the scheduling of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway car race, later named the Indianapolis 500 , was vehemently opposed by the increasingly elderly GAR. The state legislature in 1923 rejected holding the race on the holiday. But the new American Legion and local officials wanted

231-523: A day early on April 25, 1866, gathered together at Friendship Cemetery to decorate the graves of the Confederate soldiers. They also felt moved to honor the Union soldiers buried there, and to note the grief of their families, by decorating their graves as well. The story of their gesture of humanity and reconciliation is held by some writers as the inspiration of the original Memorial Day. According to

308-649: A division of the Department of Veterans Affairs , and scholars attribute the beginning of a Memorial Day practice in the South to a group of women of Columbus, Georgia . The women were the Ladies Memorial Association of Columbus. They were represented by Mary Ann Williams (Mrs. Charles J. Williams) who as association secretary wrote an open letter to the press on March 11, 1866 asking for assistance in establishing an annual holiday to decorate

385-478: A division of the Department of Veterans Affairs , credits Mary Ann Williams with originating the "idea of strewing the graves of Civil War soldiers—Union and Confederate" with flowers. Official recognition as a holiday spread among the states, beginning with New York in 1873. By 1890, every Union state had adopted it. The world wars turned it into a day of remembrance for all members of the U.S. military who fought and died in service. In 1971, Congress standardized

462-484: A footnote to a story about her brother, Mrs. Sophie (Keller) Hall described how she and Emma Hunter decorated the grave of Emma's father, Reuben Hunter, and then the graves of all soldiers in the cemetery. The original story did not account for Reuben Hunter's death occurring two months later on September 19, 1864. It also did not mention Mrs. Elizabeth Myers as one of the original participants. A bronze statue of all three women gazing upon Reuben Hunter's grave now stands near

539-400: A key role in using Memorial Day rituals to preserve Confederate culture. Various dates ranging from April 25 to mid-June were adopted in different Southern states. Across the South, associations were founded, many by women, to establish and care for permanent cemeteries for the Confederate dead, organize commemorative ceremonies, and sponsor appropriate monuments as a permanent way of remembering

616-549: A parade of 10,000 people to honor 257 dead Union soldiers. The soldiers had been buried in a mass grave at the Washington Race Course, having died at the Confederate prison camp located there. After the city fell, the freed Black population unearthed and properly buried the soldiers, placing flowers at their graves. The event was reported contemporaneously in the Charleston Daily Courier and

693-617: A sacred charge upon a Nation's gratitude—the soldiers' and sailors' widow and orphan. — John A. Logan , May 5, 1868 On May 5, 1868, General John A. Logan issued a proclamation calling for "Decoration Day" to be observed annually and nationwide; he was commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), an organization of and for Union Civil War veterans founded in Decatur, Illinois . With his proclamation, Logan adopted

770-460: A sacred event. With the Civil War, a new theme of death, sacrifice, and rebirth enters the civil religion. Memorial Day gave ritual expression to these themes, integrating the local community into a sense of nationalism. The American civil religion, in contrast to that of France, was never anticlerical or militantly secular; in contrast to Britain, it was not tied to a specific denomination, such as

847-572: A series about climate change issues. In 2008, the newspaper won national awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and American Society of Newspaper Editors for coverage of the Charleston Sofa Super Store fire . In 2008, Reporter Tony Bartelme also won the prestigious Gerald Loeb Award for a story about the effect of China's growth on local economies. The reported numbers for The Post and Courier's circulation as of

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924-535: A union contract, might only receive their standard pay for working on a federal holiday, depending on the company policy. Federal law also provides for the declaration of other public holidays by the President of the United States . Generally the president will provide a reasoning behind the elevation of the day, and call on the people of the United States to observe the day "with appropriate ceremonies and activities." Examples of presidentially declared holidays were

1001-400: Is Texas Independence Day , and "optional holidays", such as Good Friday . Private employers are not required to observe federal or state holidays, the key exception being federally-chartered banks. Some private employers, often by a union contract, pay a differential such as time-and-a-half or double-time to employees who work on some federal holidays. Employees not specifically covered by

1078-540: Is a Black English contraction, or portmanteau, of the month 'June' and the date 'Nineteenth'. Juneteenth celebrates the date of June 19, 1865, when enslaved people of African descent located in Galveston, Texas, finally learned of their freedom from the slavery system in the United States." President Biden's annual proclamation in 2024 began, "On June 19, 1865, freedom finally came for the 250,000 enslaved people of Texas. That day, which would become known as Juneteenth,

1155-536: Is a large employer, the holidays are expensive. If a holiday is controversial, opposition will generally prevent bills enacting them from passing. For example, Martin Luther King Jr. Day , marking King's birthday, took much effort to pass and for all states to recognize it. It was not until 2000 that this holiday was officially observed in all 50 states. The following list is an example of holidays that have been proposed and reasons why they are not observed at

1232-588: Is considered a paid holiday for federal employees in the Washington, D.C., area by the Office of Personnel Management . It is not considered a federal holiday in the United States equivalent to the eleven holidays mentioned above. Although many states recognize most or all federal holidays as state holidays, the federal government cannot enact laws to compel them to do so. States can recognize other days as state holidays that are not federal holidays. For example,

1309-421: Is doing no more than recognizing the cultural significance of the holiday". Most of the 11 U.S. federal holidays are also state holidays. Five of the "floating" date holidays always fall on a Monday; the remaining floating holiday, Thanksgiving, is always on a Thursday. The rest are on fixed dates. A fixed date holiday that falls on a weekend (Saturday and Sunday) is usually observed for federal employees on

1386-516: Is set differently by each family or church for each cemetery to coordinate the maintenance, social, and spiritual aspects of decoration. Poems commemorating Memorial Day include: (federal) = federal holidays, (abbreviation) = state/territorial holidays, (religious) = religious holidays, (cultural) = holiday related to a specific racial/ethnic group or sexual minority , (week) = week-long holidays, (month) = month-long holidays, (36) = Title 36 Observances and Ceremonies Federal holidays in

1463-472: The New-York Tribune . Historian David Blight has called this commemoration the first Memorial Day. However, no direct link has been established between this event and General John Logan 's 1868 proclamation for a national holiday. . . . [W]e can keep alive the memory of debt we owe them by dedicating at least one day in the year, by embellishing their humble graves with flowers, therefore we beg

1540-495: The Church of England . The Americans borrowed from different religious traditions so that the average American saw no conflict between the two, and deep levels of personal motivation were aligned with attaining national goals. Since 1867, Brooklyn, New York, has held an annual Memorial Day parade which it claims to be the nation's oldest. Grafton, West Virginia , and Ironton, Ohio have also had an ongoing parade since 1868. However,

1617-553: The District of Columbia . As a general rule of courtesy, custom, and sometimes regulation, other institutions, such as banks, businesses, schools, and the financial markets , may be closed on federal holidays. In various parts of the country, state and city holidays may be observed concurrently with federal holidays. The history of national holidays in the United States dates back to June 28, 1870, when Congress created national holidays "to correspond with similar laws of States around

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1694-530: The News and Courier and Evening Post were merged into a single morning newspaper, The Post and Courier. However, the two papers had shared the same editorial staff since the 1980s. The paper acquired several sisters in the 1990s when its parent bought other newspapers and television stations. In July 2021, the Post and Courier announced a relocation of its offices to 148 Williman Street. The newspaper has won

1771-538: The Uniform Monday Holiday Act , which moved four holidays, including Memorial Day, from their traditional dates to a specified Monday in order to create a convenient three-day weekend. The change moved Memorial Day from its traditional May 30 date to the last Monday in May. The law took effect at the federal level in 1971. In 1913, an Indiana veteran complained that younger people born since the war had

1848-533: The United States Library of Congress , "Southern women decorated the graves of soldiers even before the Civil War’s end. Records show that by 1865, Mississippi, Virginia, and South Carolina all had precedents for Memorial Day." The earliest Southern Memorial Day celebrations were simple, somber occasions for veterans and their families to honor the dead and tend to local cemeteries. In following years,

1925-544: The half-staff position, where it remains only until noon. It is then raised to full-staff for the remainder of the day. The National Memorial Day Concert takes place on the west lawn of the United States Capitol . Scholars, following the lead of sociologist Robert Bellah , often make the argument that the United States has a secular " civil religion "—one with no association with any religious denomination or viewpoint—that has incorporated Memorial Day as

2002-507: The "baptism of blood" on the battlefield. In the national capital in 1913 the four-day "Blue-Gray Reunion" featured parades, re-enactments, and speeches from a host of dignitaries, including President Woodrow Wilson , the first Southerner elected to the White House since the War. James Heflin of Alabama gave the main address. Heflin was a noted orator; his choice as Memorial Day speaker

2079-496: The 1800s. The Charleston Daily News, founded in 1865, merged with it to form the News and Courier in 1873. The Evening Post was founded in 1894, but quickly ran into financial trouble. In 1896, rice planter Arthur Manigault stepped in to rescue the paper. The paper and its successors have been in the hands of the Manigault family for four generations. In 1926, Manigault's son, Robert, bought The News and Courier. During

2156-497: The 4th quarter of 2015, paid circulation had dropped to 68,400 for Sundays and 56,000-57,000 for dailies as reported by the Alliance for Audited Media. In the first quarter of 2020, audited daily and Sunday circulation totals were at 45,016 and 51,190, respectively. A decline in revenue made the paper offer a buyout to employees in 2008 in an attempt to streamline the company and save money. After 64 full-time employees left, bringing

2233-594: The Army arrived to enforce what had already been the law of the land for two and a half years—the Emancipation Proclamation". On October 3, 1789, at the request of the U.S. Congress, President George Washington issued a Thanksgiving proclamation designating November 26, 1789 as a day of "public thanksgiving and prayer" for the "People of the United States”. Thanksgiving has been proclaimed in

2310-529: The Civil Rights Era, the News and Courier was virulently segregationist ; indeed, Time described it as the most segregationist newspaper in the South. Its editor, Thomas R. Waring Jr., was a staunch segregationist, as was staffer W. D. Workman Jr., who ran for public office in a campaign that united South Carolina's formerly divided racial and economic conservatives. By 1991, it was apparent Charleston could no longer support two newspapers, so

2387-691: The Confederate dead. The most important of these was the United Daughters of the Confederacy , which grew throughout the South. Changes in the ceremony's hymns and speeches reflect an evolution of the ritual into a symbol of cultural renewal and conservatism in the South. By 1913, David Blight argues, the theme of American nationalism shared equal time with the Confederate. By the 20th century, various Union memorial traditions, celebrated on different days, merged, and Memorial Day eventually extended to honor all Americans who fought and died while in

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2464-477: The District...and...in every State of the Union." Although at first applicable only to federal employees in the District of Columbia , Congress extended coverage in 1885 to all federal employees. The original four holidays in 1870 were: George Washington's Birthday became a federal holiday in 1879. In 1888 and 1894, respectively, Decoration Day (now Memorial Day ) and Labor Day were created. Armistice Day

2541-553: The Ladies' Memorial Association and other groups increasingly focused rituals on preserving Confederate culture and the Lost Cause of the Confederacy narrative. The 1863 cemetery dedication at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania , included a ceremony of commemoration at the graves of dead soldiers. Some have therefore claimed that President Abraham Lincoln was the founder of Memorial Day. However, Chicago journalist Lloyd Lewis tried to make

2618-845: The Memorial Day parade in Rochester, Wisconsin , predates both the Doylestown and the Grafton parades by one year (1867). In 1915, following the Second Battle of Ypres , Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae , a physician with the Canadian Expeditionary Force , wrote the poem " In Flanders Fields ". Its opening lines refer to the fields of poppies that grew among the soldiers' graves in Flanders . Inspired by

2695-481: The Memorial Day practice that had begun in the Southern states two years earlier. The northern states quickly adopted the holiday. In 1868, memorial events were held in 183 cemeteries in 27 states, and 336 in 1869. One author claims that the date was chosen because it was not the anniversary of any particular battle. Logan's wife noted that the date was chosen because it was the optimal date for flowers to be in bloom in

2772-587: The North. In 1873, New York made Decoration Day an official state holiday and by 1890, every northern state had followed suit. There was no standard program for the ceremonies, but they were typically sponsored by the Women's Relief Corps , the women's auxiliary of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) , which had 100,000 members. By 1870, the remains of nearly 300,000 Union dead had been reinterred in 73 national cemeteries, located near major battlefields and thus mainly in

2849-587: The South. In some cities, mostly in Virginia, other dates in May and June were observed. General John Logan commented on the observances in a speech to veterans on July 4, 1866, in Salem, Illinois . After General Logan's General Order No. 11 to the Grand Army of the Republic to observe May 30, 1868, the earlier version of the holiday began to be referred to as Confederate Memorial Day . Following Mary William's call for assistance, four women of Columbus, Mississippi

2926-505: The South. The most famous are Gettysburg National Cemetery in Pennsylvania and Arlington National Cemetery , near Washington, D.C. On May 26, 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson designated an "official" birthplace of the holiday by signing the presidential proclamation naming Waterloo, New York , as the holder of the title. This action followed House Concurrent Resolution 587, in which the 89th Congress had officially recognized that

3003-612: The State of Texas recognizes all federal holidays except Columbus Day, and recognizes the Friday after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and the day after Christmas as state holidays. Texas does not follow the federal rule of closing either the Friday before, if a holiday falls on a Saturday, or the Monday after if a holiday falls on a Sunday. Offices are open on those Fridays or Mondays. Texas has "partial staffing holidays", such as March 2 , which

3080-501: The U.S. for various months and days of the week, including March, August, September, November, December, and on Sundays. Celebrated on December 25 around the world, Christmas is the day that Christians remember the birth and incarnation of Jesus Christ . Christmas has been celebrated for over 2,000 years. In the United States, Christmas Day as a federal or public holiday is sometimes objected to by various non-Christians, usually due to its ties with Christianity . In December 1999,

3157-408: The U.S. military service. Indiana from the 1860s to the 1920s saw numerous debates on how to expand the celebration. It was a favorite lobbying activity of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR). An 1884 GAR handbook explained that Memorial Day was "the day of all days in the G.A.R. Calendar" in terms of mobilizing public support for pensions. It advised family members to "exercise great care" in keeping

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3234-798: The United States Federal holidays in the United States are 11 calendar dates designated by the U.S. federal government as holidays. On these days non-essential U.S. federal government offices are closed and federal employees are paid for the day off. Federal holidays are designated by the United States Congress in Title V of the United States Code ( 5 U.S.C.   § 6103 ). Congress only has authority to create holidays for federal institutions (including federally-owned properties), employees, and

3311-461: The Upland South argues for the age of the tradition, which was carried westward (and eastward to Africa) by nineteenth-century migration and has survived in essentially the same form till the present." While these customs may have inspired in part rituals to honor military dead like Memorial Day, numerous differences exist between Decoration Day customs and Memorial Day, including that the date

3388-806: The Western Division of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio , in the case Ganulin v. United States , denied the charge that Christmas Day's federal status violated the Establishment Clause of the Constitution , ruling that "the Christmas holiday has become largely secularized", and that "by giving federal employees a paid vacation day on Christmas, the government

3465-759: The assistance of the press and the ladies throughout the South to help us in the effort to set apart a certain day to be observed, from the Potomac to the Rio Grande and be handed down through time as a religious custom of the country, to wreathe the graves of our martyred dead with flowers. . . Let the soldiers’ graves, for that day at least, be the Southern Mecca , to whose shrine her sorrowing women, like pilgrims, may annually bring their grateful hearts and floral offerings. . . — Mary Ann Williams , March 11, 1866 The National Cemetery Administration ,

3542-429: The belated June 19, 1865, announcement that enslaved people in the Confederate states had been freed by President Abraham Lincoln as of January 1, 1863. President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, which declared "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free". A National Park Service fact sheet explains that "the word 'Juneteenth'

3619-425: The big race to continue, so Governor Warren McCray vetoed the bill and the race went on. Memorial Day endures as a holiday which most businesses observe because it marks the unofficial beginning of summer. ( Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer.) The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) advocated returning to the original date. The VFW stated in 2002: Changing

3696-456: The bill that created Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day . It was first observed three years later, although some states resisted making it a state holiday. It was finally celebrated both nationally and by each of the states in 2000. Dr. King's birthday is January 15th. On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed the law that made June 19th a federal holiday. Officially designated as " Juneteenth National Independence Day ", Juneteenth commemorates

3773-533: The case that it was Lincoln's funeral that spurred the soldiers' grave decorating that followed. On July 4, 1864, ladies decorated soldiers' graves according to local historians in Boalsburg, Pennsylvania . Boalsburg promotes itself as the birthplace of Memorial Day. However, no published reference to this event has been found earlier than the printing of the History of the 148th Pennsylvania Volunteers in 1904. In

3850-584: The claims relate to documented events, occurring before or after the Civil War. Others may stem from general traditions of decorating soldiers' graves with flowers, rather than specific events leading to the national proclamation. Soldiers' graves were decorated in the U.S. before and during the American Civil War . Other claims may be less respectable, appearing to some researchers as taking credit without evidence, while erasing better-evidenced events or connections. On June 3, 1861, Warrenton, Virginia

3927-431: The closest weekday : a holiday falling on a Saturday is observed on the preceding Friday, while a holiday falling on a Sunday is observed on the succeeding Monday. The official names come from the statute that defines holidays for federal employees. 1938 (federal holiday) 1941 (received permanent observation date) Inauguration Day , held on January 20 every four years following a quadrennial presidential election ,

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4004-487: The date merely to create three-day weekends has undermined the very meaning of the day. No doubt, this has contributed a lot to the general public's nonchalant observance of Memorial Day. In 2000, Congress passed the National Moment of Remembrance Act, asking people to stop and remember at 3:00 pm. On Memorial Day, the flag of the United States is raised briskly to the top of the staff and then solemnly lowered to

4081-562: The day with an alternative holiday or observance. South Dakota is the only state to recognize Native American Day as an official state holiday. Charleston Daily Courier It is the largest newspaper in South Carolina, followed by Columbia 's The State and The Greenville News . It has newsrooms across the state in Greenville, Columbia, Spartanburg, Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head Island and more. The Charleston Courier

4158-473: The days of the funerals for former Presidents Ronald Reagan , George H. W. Bush , and Gerald Ford ; federal government offices were closed and employees given a paid holiday. In addition, occasionally the President will grant Christmas Eve as a holiday or partial holiday (the latter generally being 4 hours for full-time employees). Many federal holidays have been proposed. As the U.S. federal government

4235-662: The entrance to the Boalsburg Cemetery. Although July 4, 1864, was a Monday, the town now claims that the original decoration was on one of the Sundays in October 1864. ... Let us then gather around their sacred remains and garland the passionless mounds above them with the choicest flowers of Springtime; let us raise above them the dear old flag they saved from dishonor; let us in this solemn presence renew our pledges to aid and assist those whom they have left among us as

4312-548: The federal level. Some of these holidays are observed at the state level. Some Native American groups protest the observance of Columbus Day , mainly due to the controversy of Columbus' arrival to the Americas. Alaska , Colorado , Florida , Hawaii , Iowa , Louisiana , Maine , Michigan , Minnesota , New Mexico , Nevada , North Carolina , Oregon , South Dakota , Vermont , Washington , and Wisconsin do not recognize Columbus Day. Hawaii and South Dakota mark

4389-607: The graves of Confederate and Union soldiers according to her account. The first reference to this event however did not appear until many years later. Mention of the observance is inscribed on the southeast panel of the Confederate Monument in Jackson, erected in 1891. Vaughan's account is contradicted by contemporary sources. On May 1, 1865, in Charleston, South Carolina , the recently freed Black population held

4466-645: The graves of soldiers throughout the South. The letter was reprinted in several southern states and the plans were noted in newspapers in the North . The date of April 26 was chosen, which corresponded with the end date of the war with the surrender agreement between Generals Johnston and Sherman in 1865. The holiday was observed in Atlanta, Augusta, Macon, Columbus and elsewhere in Georgia as well as Montgomery, Alabama; Memphis, Tennessee; Louisville, Kentucky; New Orleans, Louisiana; Jackson, Mississippi, and across

4543-399: The headcount down to 381 by the start of 2009. On February 6, 2009, 25 more layoffs were announced. On March 23, 2009, Evening Post Publishing Co., the parent company of the paper, announced that a company-wide furlough plan would take place in the second quarter of 2009 and required employees to take five days of unpaid leave in another attempt to save the company money. The newspaper said

4620-521: The highest awards in journalism, frequently besting much larger news organizations. It has taken a leadership role in exposing corruption and reducing local news deserts with its Uncovered project, a partnership with more than 18 South Carolina newspapers. The project won the 2021 S.C. Press Association's top award for Public Service. In 2015 it won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for coverage of domestic violence. In 2019, Tony Bartelme won

4697-583: The holiday as "Memorial Day" and changed its observance to the last Monday in May. Two other days celebrate those who have served or are serving in the U.S. military: Armed Forces Day , which is earlier in May, an unofficial U.S. holiday for honoring those currently serving in the armed forces, and Veterans Day on November 11, which honors all those who have served in the United States Armed Forces. A variety of cities and people have claimed origination of Memorial Day. In some such cases,

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4774-623: The holiday was proclaimed by Commander in Chief John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic to honor the Union soldiers who had died in the American Civil War . This national observance followed many local observances which were inaugurated between the end of the Civil War and Logan's declaration. Many cities and people have claimed to be the first to observe it. However, the National Cemetery Administration ,

4851-890: The inaugural Victor K. McElheny Knight Science Journalism Award for a story about climate change and the Gulf Stream. In 2016, a team of reporters won a Scripps Howard Foundation Award for an investigation into police shootings. In 2018, the newspaper won the American Society of News Editors Deborah Howell Award for a story about the demise of the Piggly Wiggly Carolina grocery chain. In 2017, the American Geophysical Union awarded Tony Bartelme its Walter Sullivan Award for Excellence in Science Journalism for "Every Other Breath,"

4928-475: The label "Confederate" to their commemorations and claimed that Northerners had appropriated the holiday. The first official celebration of Confederate Memorial Day as a public holiday occurred in 1874, following a proclamation by the Georgia legislature. By 1916, ten states celebrated it, on June 3, the birthday of CSA President Jefferson Davis . Other states chose late April dates, or May 10, commemorating Davis' capture. The Ladies' Memorial Association played

5005-443: The leadership of women during the war, an increasingly formal practice of decorating graves had taken shape. In 1865, the federal government also began creating the United States National Cemetery System for the Union war dead. By the 1880s, ceremonies were becoming more consistent across geography as the GAR provided handbooks that presented specific procedures, poems, and Bible verses for local post commanders to utilize in planning

5082-454: The local event. Historian Stuart McConnell reports: on the day itself, the post assembled and marched to the local cemetery to decorate the graves of the fallen, an enterprise meticulously organized months in advance to assure that none were missed. Finally came a simple and subdued graveyard service involving prayers, short patriotic speeches, and music ... and at the end perhaps a rifle salute. In 1868, some Southern public figures began adding

5159-408: The military dead. Appalachian and Liberian cemetery decoration traditions pre-date the United States Memorial Day holiday. According to scholars Alan and Karen Jabbour, "the geographic spread ... from the Smokies to northeastern Texas and Liberia, offer strong evidence that the southern Decoration Day originated well back in the nineteenth century. The presence of the same cultural tradition throughout

5236-415: The military personnel who died in the line of duty. Volunteers will place American flags on the graves of those military personnel in national cemeteries . Others such as family and friends will also come to lay flowers and grieve on the graves of those who died in the US military. The first national observance of Memorial Day occurred on May 30, 1868. Then known as Decoration Day and observed on May 30,

5313-432: The patriotic tradition of observing Memorial Day had begun one hundred years prior in Waterloo, New York. The legitimacy of this claim has been called into question by several scholars. In April 1865, following Lincoln's assassination , commemorations were extensive. The more than 600,000 soldiers of both sides who fought and died in the Civil War meant that burial and memorialization took on new cultural significance. Under

5390-537: The poem, YWCA worker Moina Michael attended a YWCA Overseas War Secretaries' conference three years later wearing a silk poppy pinned to her coat and distributed over two dozen more to others present. The National American Legion adopted in 1920 the poppy as its official symbol of remembrance. Decoration Days in Southern Appalachia and Liberia are a tradition which arose by the 19th century. Decoration practices are localized and unique to individual families, cemeteries, and communities, but common elements that unify

5467-495: The six months ended September 30, 2009, were 86,084 daily and 94,940 on Sundays. This is down some 13% from the period ended March 31, 2008, which were 99,459 daily and 110,289 on Sunday. At the start of 2009, The Post and Courier's circulation figures were down to 94,647 for dailies and 97,549 for Sundays, 4.8% down from the previous year's figures. By the end of 2012, the circulation figures (including paid and non-paid) had declined to 82,266 for dailies and 92,062 for Sundays. For

5544-408: The various Decoration Day practices are thought to represent syncretism of predominantly Christian cultures in 19th century Southern Appalachia with pre-Christian influences from Scotland, Ireland, and African cultures. Appalachian and Liberian cemetery decoration traditions are thought to have more in common with one another than with United States Memorial Day traditions which are focused on honoring

5621-552: The veterans sober. Memorial Day speeches became an occasion for veterans, politicians, and ministers to commemorate the Civil War and, at first, to rehash the "atrocities" of the enemy. They mixed religion and celebratory nationalism, allowing Americans to make sense of their history in terms of sacrifice for a better nation. People of all religious beliefs joined, made that German and Irish soldiers – ethnic minorities that Anti-Irish sentiment#19th century faced Anti-German sentiment#United States  – had become true Americans in

5698-417: Was criticized, as he was opposed for his support of segregation; however, his speech was moderate in tone and stressed national unity and goodwill, gaining him praise from newspapers. The name "Memorial Day", which was first attested in 1882, gradually became more common than "Decoration Day" after World War II but was not declared the official name by federal law until 1967. On June 28, 1968, Congress passed

5775-533: Was established in 1938 to honor the end of World War I , and the scope of the holiday was expanded to honor Americans who fought in World War II and the Korean War when it was renamed Veterans Day in 1954. In 1968, the Uniform Monday Holiday Act gave several holidays "floating" dates so that they always fall on a Monday, and also established Columbus Day . In 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed

5852-563: Was founded in 1803. The founder of the Courier , Aaron Smith Willington , came from Massachusetts with newspaper experience. In the early 19th century, he was known to row out to meet ships from London , Liverpool , Havre , and New York City to get the news earlier than other Charleston papers. He also had a translator working for him, so he could copy items from the Havana newspapers. Rudolph Septimus Siegling also served as editor during

5929-602: Was the location of the first Civil War soldier's grave to be decorated, according to an article in the Richmond Times-Dispatch in 1906. This decoration was for the funeral of the first soldier killed during the Civil War, John Quincy Marr , who died on June 1, 1861, during a skirmish at the Battle of Fairfax Courthouse in Virginia. On April 26, 1865, in Jackson, Mississippi , Sue Landon Vaughan decorated

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