Memorial Days

Remembering the past is essential to a very human need to understand life’s meaning.

To be sure, not all memory is deliberate, or makes us feel like we are closer to any kind of understanding.  Some memories force themselves upon us.  Traumatic events, sentimental moments, even random curiosities come back to us without will or reason.

But often, we construct a home for memories that we wish to preserve – in books, in the form of monuments in pubic places, by designating days on which certain memories are honored.  We honor even the memories of great horrors, collective tragedies, the methodical destruction of human lives through war.

Memorial Day came about after the Civil War as a way to make sense of that traumatic and defining moment of our young nation’s life.  It was a war that tore the country apart and forced it together again in a new form.  Never again would states be able to claim their rights superseded the will of the nation.  Never again would the most basic of human rights – freedom – be subject to another person’s property rights.  But it was a conflict that cost more American lives than any other war before or since.

What was purchased at such a tremendous cost?  What did it all mean?

It would take years of political and economic negotiations for the outcome of the War Between the States to become clear.  Through Reconstruction, Redemption, the creation of multi-state corporations and a national market for goods, the development of federal authority over traditionally local issues, the new formula for the relationships between the United States and its constituents emerged.

But before the war had even ended, commemoration of the fallen had begun.  It wasn’t necessary to understand the long-term impact of their efforts in order to appreciate their sacrifice.

It began with the decorating of graves, perhaps as early as June of 1861.  The dedication of the cemetery at Gettysburg in 1863 was the most widely known precedent event.  The first widely-publicized post-war observance was on May 1, 1865 in Charleston, South Carolina, organized by former slaves in honor of Union soldiers buried at the site of a wartime prisoner of war camp.

In 1866, the Ladies Memorial Association of Columbus, Georgia passed a resolution that led to the institution of Confederate Memorial Day.  It would be celebrated on April 26, the anniversary of the surrender of Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston to Union General William T. Sherman – to many in the South, the official end of the war.  Over the years, the theme of the commemoration would emphasize not just respect for the fallen soldiers, but also for the Southern Lost Cause itself.

In 1868, an organization of Union veterans, the Grand Army of the Republic promoted a nationwide “Decoration Day” to be celebrated on May 30.  The holiday quickly caught on, and it became an event in small towns across the country, often featuring parades and distinguished speakers.

Over time, the name of the holiday shifted from “Decoration Day” to “Memorial Day,” which became its official designation under federal law in 1967.  In 1968, its date was shifted from May 30 to the last Monday in May, to create a three-day weekend.

Today, the holiday is widely observed by many as the official start of the summer vacation season.  There is some public recognition of its historic purpose – somewhat greater recognition during periods of war, or when American troops are deployed in war zones (a distinction that would have made no sense to the public or to politicians in the era of the Civil War).  But the need to rationalize the loss of life in war has been drowned out by the need to promote Memorial Day Sales on patio furniture and suntan lotion.  Memorial Day is for many people a placeholder – a day that is used to mark the transition not from wartime to peacetime, but from Spring to Summer.

But still, remembering the past is essential to a very human need to understand life’s meaning today.

Memorial Day continues to be an opportunity for reflection – on patriotism and honor, on sacrifice and loss, on enduring ideals and shared values.  We can appreciate the opportunity by paying respect to those who have served and sacrificed.  We can also embrace the opportunity to enjoy a day of celebration with friends and loved ones.

Happy Memorial Day