Memorial Day Last Monday in May
It was 1866 and the United States was recovering from the long and bloody Civil War between the North and the South. Surviving soldiers came home, some with missing limbs, and all with stories to tell. Henry Welles, a drugstore owner in Waterloo, New York, heard the stories and had an idea. He suggested that all the shops in town close for one day to honor the soldiers who were killed in the Civil War and were buried in the Waterloo cemetery. On the morning of May 5, the townspeople placed flowers, wreathsand crosses on the graves of the Northern soldiers in the cemetery. At about the same time, Retired Major General Jonathan A. Logan planned another ceremony, this time for the soldiers who survived the war. He led the veterans through town to the cemetery to decorate their comrades graves with flags. It was not a happy celebration, but a memorial. The townspeople called it Decoration Day.
The two ceremonies were joined in 1868, and northern states commemorated the day on May 30. The southern states commemorated their war dead on different days. Children read poems and sang civil war songs and veterans came to school wearing their medals and uniforms to tell students about the Civil War. Then the veterans marched through their home towns followed by the townspeople to the cemetery. They decorated graves and took photographs of soldiers next to American flags. Rifles were shot in the air as a salute to the northern soldiers who had given their lives to keep the United States together.
In 1882, the name was changed to Memorial Day and soldiers who had died in previous wars were honored as well. In the northern United States, it was designated a public holiday. In 1971, along with other holidays, President Richard Nixon declared Memorial Day a federal holiday on the last Monday in May.
Cities all around the United States hold their own ceremonies on the last Monday in May to pay respect to the men and women who have died in wars or in the service of their country.
Memorial Day is not limited to honor only those Americans from the armed forces. It is also a day for personal remembrance. Families and individuals honor the memories of their loved ones who have died. Church services, visits to the cemetery, flowers on graves or even silent tribute mark the day with dignity and solemnity. It is a day of reflection. However, to many Americans the day also signals the beginning of summer with a three-day weekend to spend at the beach, in the mountains or at home relaxing.
(七省专用)2016届高考英语一轮复习基础晨记提升:Module 1 British and American English 外研版必修5
(七省专用)2016届高考英语一轮复习基础晨记提升:Module 1 Our Body and Healthy Habits 外研版必修2
2016届高三英语二轮复习专题基础训练:1 记叙文
2016届高三英语二轮复习专题基础训练:7 词义猜测题
2016届高三英语二轮复习专题基础训练:19 开放类
2016届高三英语二轮复习专题能力训练:3 词义辨析类
2016届高三英语二轮复习专题基础训练:15 少词
2016届高三英语二轮复习专题基础训练:3 说明文
(七省专用)2016届高考英语一轮复习基础晨记提升:Module 2 Developing and Developed Countries 外研版必修3
(七省专用)2016届高考英语一轮复习基础晨记提升:Module 1 Deep South 外研版选修8
2016届高三英语二轮复习专题能力训练:5 单项填空综合训练:
2016届高三英语二轮复习专题基础训练:14 多词
(七省专用)2016届高考英语一轮复习基础晨记提升:Module 1 Basketball 外研版选修7
2016届高三英语二轮复习专题能力训练:4 交际用语类
2016届高三英语二轮复习考点精练:专题2 非谓语动词
(七省专用)2016届高考英语一轮复习基础晨记提升:Module 1 Life in the Future 外研版必修4
2016届高考英语二轮专题复习阅读理解极限突破测试卷(5)
2016届高三英语二轮复习专题基础训练:5 推理判断题
2016届高三英语二轮复习专题基础训练:10 主旨大意题
2016届高三英语二轮复习专题基础训练:8 意图态度题
2016届高三英语二轮复习考点精练:题型3 短文改错
2016届高考英语二轮专题复习阅读理解极限突破测试卷(7)
2016届高三英语二轮复习专题基础训练:2 议论文
2016届高三英语二轮复习专题基础训练:13 错词
(七省专用)2016届高考英语一轮复习基础晨记提升:Module 1 My First Day at Senior High 外研版必修1
2016届高考英语二轮专题复习阅读理解极限突破测试卷(3)
2016届高考英语二轮专题复习阅读理解极限突破测试卷(6)
2016届高三英语二轮复习专题能力训练:10 阅读理解(1)
2016届高三英语二轮复习专题基础训练:9 补全对话
(七省专用)2016届高考英语一轮复习基础晨记提升:Module 2 Fantasy Literature—Philip Pullman 外研版选修6