Memorial Day
A Day of Remembrance
On May 5, 1868, General John Logan proclaimed Memorial Day to be a holiday in the United States. It was first observed on May 30 of the same year by placing flowers on the graves of the Civil War soldiers that were buried in the Arlington National Cemetery. New York was the first state to officially observe this holiday in the year 1873. It was accepted by all of the northern states by 1890. The Southern states would not honor their dead on the same day as the northern states until after World War I. It was at this time that Memorial Day had been changed from honoring dead soldiers of the Civil War to honoring dead American soldiers of any war. Currently nearly all states observe this holiday on the last Monday in May. It was officially made a National Holiday on this day in 1971 by Congress with the National Holiday Act, ensuring a three-day weekend for national holidays. Texas, however, sets aside January 19 to honor the Confederate soldiers that died during the Civil War.
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