Today is Memorial Day, the day we honor those who have fallen fighting for their country and for freedom.
Memorial Day first started to be observed after the Civil War. That war was the bloodiest in American history and the casualties of that war were unprecedented. The number of killed and wounded in the three previous declared wars, the War of Independence, the War of 1812, and the Mexican War, were insignificant compared to the slaughter house that the Civil War became. After the war people in both the North and South began to commemorate the soldiers who died for their country. The date of this commemoration varied throughout the country until it settled on May 30.
In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Holidays Bill. This law moved the dates of four holidays, including Memorial Day, to the nearest Monday in order to create three-day weekends. This, I think, was unfortunate. I believe that converting the day on which we honor our fallen heroes into a long weekend tends to diminish the significance of this day. It becomes no more that day to take off work and for businesses to have sales. There should be more to Memorial Day.
Related articles
- Memorial Day Remembering Those Who Died Serving in the Us Armed Forces (americanfreedombybarbara.com)
- History for Memorial Day 2013 (Photos) (examiner.com)
- Memorial Day 2013 (martinisandbonbons.com)
- For Most Americans, Happy Memorial Day Means Summer (richardbaris.wordpress.com)
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