THE HISTORY OF MEMORIAL DAY ~WHY REMEMBER?
Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for those who have died in service to our country.
It began on May 30, 1868 to commemorate the sacrifices of Civil War Soldiers, by proclamation of General John A. Logan.
I’ve been thinking about how we can honor those who have paid the ultimate price by sacrificing their own lives for our democracy.
I truly admire the families of women and men who join the service today. No matter the arm of service each person goes in recognizing they are laying down their lives for other Americans. Often all they receive in return is criticism, low pay and dishonor from those they take an oath to protect.
It angers me when I read or see a video of a person criticizing the actions of our military when they have no idea the cost of the actions that have been taken.
It reminds me of a Mark Twain quote in his famous novel HUCKLEBERRY FINN.
“That is just the way with some people. They get down on a thing when they don’t know nothing about it.”
How can we honor those who lost their lives defending our freedoms? It would seem one of the best ways would be to safeguard the democracy they fought to secure.
We can remember their lives through sharing their stories to our future generations of how our nation was birthed on the war for freedom of religion and equality for all people.
It’s a heavy mandate for all Americans to acknowledge the blood shed before us so that we can avoid falling into the same traps of nations who try to take away the liberties of their people.
We can protect our rights by teaching our children and those generations to come of the facts and names of these heroes that came before them.
Some quick but important facts about the Civil War ~
1. The conflict started in 1861 after decades of tension between southern and northern states over slavery, state’s rights and westward expansion. When Abraham Lincoln was elected in 1860 seven southern states: South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas had seceded and formed the Confederate states of America. Four more southern states joined them later.
2. The costliest and deadliest war ever fought on American soil, 620,000 soldiers were dead by 1865 when the Confederate army surrendered.
3. On January 1, 1863 President Lincoln issued a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation to free all enslaved people in the rebellious states. This legislature deprived the confederacy of the bulk of its labor forces and put the international public opinion strongly on the Union side. On April 14, 1865 President Lincoln was assassinated by Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth. A little more than a week later, the war ended in Durham Station, NC.
If the Civil War has taught us one thing it is our nation has been built on the blood and hard sacrifice of brave men and women before us. Let us consider how far we have come and stay true to the values of our God, country and heroes gone before us.
It’s not time to lay down our hard fought freedoms to those who’d love to see us fail. It’s time to continue the fight so that we may enjoy the rewards of those who have gone before us. The Civil War may be over but the battle is not. Let’s fight for truth and justice like our predecessors did.
Thank you to all who have served!
Happy Memorial Day!
