The History of Memorial Day

Vocabulary List:
1. sacrifice their lives; 8. Arlington National Cemetery;
2. fall on; 9. observe several traditions;
3. commemorate the soldiers; 10.a Moment of Remembrance;
4. The Civil War; 11.a one-minute pause;
5. pay tribute; 12.graves;
6. honour the service; 13.military parades;
7. make a speech; 14.fallen soldiers.

Vocabulary Practice

Make phrases matching the verbs in the first column with the nouns in the second one.

a) fall on a) tribute
b) observe b) their lives
c) make c) the soldiers
d) sacrifice d) a speech
e) pay e) the last Monday in May
f) commemorate f) several traditions

While watching the video

Watch the video and tick the words and phrases in the box that you hear.

the Civil War Waterloo Abraham Lincoln General Logan the Federals

the Republicans 1868 Arlington National Cemetery George Washington

a one-minute pause The Democrats 3 p.m. the U.S.Congress

Decoration Day the last Monday in May General James Garfield World War I

After watching the video

Watch the video again. Read the summary and correct the mistakes.

This holiday was first officially celebrated on 30 th May 1869 as Decoration Day. General Logan declared
this holiday as a day to honor the service of the Civil War veterans. General James Garfield made a
speech on the very first Decoration Day at Washington Memorial Cemetery. As General Logan was the
Chief of the Northern states during the Civil War, these states accepted Decoration Day as an official
holiday, but the Southern states refused to do it.

Only after World War 1 the holiday began honoring all Americans who died fighting in all wars.

Now this holiday is celebrated on the last Tuesday in May. This day is connected with several traditions
and events. This includes a moment of Remembrance. At 2 p.m. Every American is requested to take a
one-minute pause. Many people go to cemeteries. Military parades are hold in several cities. In
Washington, D.C. the national Memorial Day concert takes place.

Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcmuA1UDnfs

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EARLY OBSERVANCES OF MEMORIAL DAY

More soldiers died during the Civil War than any conflict in U.S. history, requiring the establishment of
the country’s first national cemeteries. By the late 1860s, Americans in various towns and cities had
started holding tributes in the late spring to these countless fallen soldiers. They would decorate their
graves with flowers and recite prayers.
Did You Know?
Each year on Memorial Day a national moment of remembrance takes place at 3:00 p.m.
local time.

It is unclear where exactly this tradition originated; numerous different communities may have
independently initiated the memorial gatherings. Nevertheless, in 1966 the federal government
declared Waterloo, New York, the official birthplace of Memorial Day. Waterloo—which had first
celebrated the day on May 5, 1866—was chosen because it hosted an annual, community-wide event,
during which businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of soldiers with flowers and flags.

DECORATION DAY
On May 5, 1862, General John A. Logan, leader of an organization for Northern Civil War veterans, called
for a nationwide day of remembrance later that month. “The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the
purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense
of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and
hamlet churchyard (small cemeteries attached to churches) in the land,” he proclaimed. The date of
Decoration Day, as he called it, was chosen because it wasn’t the anniversary of any particular battle. On
the first Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, and
5,000 participants decorated the graves of the 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried there.
Many Northern states held similar events around this time and reprised the tradition in subsequent
years. By 1890, each of the Northern states had made Decoration Day an official state holiday. Many
Southern states, however, continued to honor their dead on different days until after World War I.

EVOLUTION OF MEMORIAL DAY

Decoration Day gradually became known as Memorial Day. It originally honored only those lost while
fighting in the Civil War. But during World War I the United States found itself embroiled in another
major conflict, and the holiday evolved to commemorate American military personnel who died in all
wars.
For decades, Memorial Day continued to be observed on May 30, the date Logan had selected for the
first Decoration Day. In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which stated that
Memorial Day would be the last Monday in May in order to create a three-day weekend; the change
went into effect in 1971. The same law also declared Memorial Day a federal holiday.

MEMORIAL DAY TRADITIONS

Cities and towns across the United States host Memorial Day parades each year, often incorporating
military personnel and members of veterans’ organizations. Some of the largest parades take place
in Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C. Americans also observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries
and memorials. On a less somber note, many people throw parties and barbecues on the holiday,
perhaps because it unofficially marks the beginning of summer.

http://www.history.com/topics/holidays/memorial-day-history