Memorial Day or is it “Decoration Day?”
 

Written by: Brett O. Smith 

Courtesy of: www.sweetwatertxnews.blogspot.com

This Memorial Day; lets honor those in passing, as well as the men and women in this present time whom are fighting for our red, white, and blue. 

For they fight everyday for freedom. Upholding with honor, strength and glory for our families, their families, and for the entire United States.

Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day. Only then did it actually become Memorial Day.

The preferred name for the holiday gradually changed from "Decoration Day" to "Memorial Day", which was first used in 1882. It did not become more common until after World War II, and was not declared the official name by Federal law until 1967. On June 28, 1968, the Congress passed the Uniform Holidays Bill, which moved four holidays, including Memorial Day, from their traditional dates to a specified Monday in order to create a convenient three-day weekend.

While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it's difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day.

The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war).

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