Jennifer Zoebelein of Charlotte County History Services
Memorial Day, the honoring of those who have died in the nationâs wars, dates to the Civil War, when it was common for women to decorate the graves of fallen soldiers.
In 1868, at the behest of the Grand Army of the Republic, a Union Civil War veteransâ organization, May 30 was designated a nationwide day of remembrance, though southern states continued to honor their dead separately until after World War I.
Over time, Decoration Day became Memorial Day, and its meaning shifted to include fallen soldiers from all wars. In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which set Memorial Day as the last Monday in May and declared the day a federal holiday.