Middle School
Worksheets
Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Reading Comprehension for May 27
What do you do to remember people who have died for their country? If they are from your family, you might go to the cemetery to put flowers on graves. From the time of the U.S. Civil War, Americans have set aside time to remember those who served their country. One of those times is Memorial Day.
No one knows for sure exactly when people first started honoring the Civil War dead. Originally, one day was set aside and called Decoration Day because the graves were decorated with flowers. Many southern families began the tradition during the war. A hymn was published called "Kneel Where Our Loves Are Sleeping," and it was dedicated to the ladies who decorated the graves of fallen soldiers.
General John Logan declared May 30, 1868, a day to decorate the graves of soldiers from both the North and the South in Arlington National Cemetery. New York was the first state to give official recognition to the holiday. Most states in the North recognized it by 1890, but the South refused to do so.
