A commemorative marker was erected there in 2010. Then on May 1, 1865, they held an event there including a parade – Blacks who fought in the Civil War participated – spiritual readings and songs, and picnicking. Blacks in the city organized a burial of deceased Union prisoners and built a fence around the site, Yale historian David Blight wrote in The New York Times in 2011. The first observance of what would become Memorial Day, some historians think, took place in Charleston, S.C., at the site of a horse racing track that Confederates had turned into a prison holding Union prisoners. The origins of the holiday can be traced back to local observances for soldiers with neglected gravesites during the Civil War. forces.Īhead of this year’s holiday, here are some Memorial Day facts you might not know: What is Memorial Day and why do we celebrate it? Unlike Veterans Day, Memorial Day honors all military members who have died in while serving in U.S. Memorial Day was declared a national holiday through an act of Congress in 1971, and its roots date back to the Civil War era, according to the U.S. Originally called Decoration Day, Monday's holiday honors all soldiers who died during service to the nation. The real meaning of the national holiday is much more somber.

No, Memorial Day isn't about a long weekend road trip, backyard barbecue or sales.

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