Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #DecorationDay
Most recents (2)
Originally called #DecorationDay, from the early tradition of decorating graves with flowers, wreaths and flags, #MemorialDay is a day for remembrance of those who have died in service to our country. It was first widely observed on May 30, 1868 
to commemorate the sacrifices of Civil War soldiers, by proclamation of Gen. John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of former Union sailors and soldiers.
This national event galvanized efforts to honor and remember fallen soldiers that began with local observances at burial grounds in several towns throughout the United States following the end of the Civil War, such as the May 1, 1865 gathering in Charleston, South Carolina
The Decoration Day series continues with Frederick Douglass' amazing & crucial 1871 speech at Arlington National Cemetery! #decorationday #MemorialDay #twitterstorians
americanstudier.blogspot.com/2021/06/june-1…
americanstudier.blogspot.com/2021/06/june-1…
As much as the overt, neo-Confederate Lost Cause narrative and all that came with it became dominant in the post-Civil War US, I would say that another white-centered narrative was & remains just as destructive: that the Civil War was a terrible tragedy.
saturdayeveningpost.com/2020/06/consid…
saturdayeveningpost.com/2020/06/consid…
That tragedy frame relies on another narrative with which I grew up: recognizing the courage & sacrifice of soldiers on both sides, even if we acknowledge the war's true cause. Douglass takes that on directly in the conclusion of his stunning speech:
