Class: Building Maintenance Teacher: Mr Roseus Assignment 6

Please read and answer the following questions:

The origins of Memorial Day

The last Monday in May is set aside for Memorial Day in the United States. This holiday is marked as a time to remember and honor military men and women who died while serving in the nation's armed forces.

This holiday differs from Veterans Day, which is celebrated in November. Veterans Day honors everyone who served in the U.S. military, not just those who died. From 1868 through 1970, Memorial Day was celebrated on May 30 each year. Origins Of Memorial Day

After the Civil War, John A. Logan was the Commander in Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR). It was an organization of former Union soldiers and sailors.

On May 5, 1868, three years after the end of the Civil War, Logan established Decoration Day. It was meant to be a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers.

The first large observance was held that year at Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The cemetery already held the remains of 20,000 Union dead and several hundred dead from the Confederacy, which had fought to keep slavery in the South.

General and Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant and other Washington officials oversaw the Memorial Day ceremonies. The events centered around the Arlington mansion. It was once the home of General Robert E. Lee, the Confederate military leader. After speeches, children whose fathers and mothers had died in combat and members of the GAR made their way through the cemetery. They laid flowers on both Union and Confederate graves, reciting prayers and singing hymns. Was Decoration Day Really The First Memorial Day?

General John A. Logan credited his wife, Mary Logan, with the suggestion for the Decoration Day commemoration. However, local springtime tributes to the Civil War dead had previously taken place.

One of the first occurred in Columbus, Mississippi, on April 25, 1866. Back then a group of women visited a cemetery to decorate the graves of Confederate soldiers who had fallen in battle at Shiloh. Nearby were the graves of Union soldiers, neglected because they were the enemy. Disturbed at the sight of the bare graves, the women placed some of their flowers on those graves, as well.

Today cities in the North and the South claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day between 1864 and 1866. Both Macon and Columbus, Georgia, claim the title, as does Richmond, Virginia. The village of Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, also claims to be the first. A stone in a cemetery in Carbondale, Illinois, the wartime home of General Logan, carries the statement that the first Decoration Day ceremony took place there on April 29, 1866.

Approximately 25 places have been named in connection with the origin of Memorial Day. Many of them are in the South where most of the war dead were buried. Official Birthplace Declared

In 1966, Congress and President Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo, New York, the "birthplace" of Memorial Day. A local ceremony held on May 5, 1866, in Waterloo was reported to have honored local soldiers and sailors who had fought in the Civil War. Businesses closed and residents flew flags at half-mast – meaning halfway up the flagpole. This is a sign of respect. Supporters of Waterloo's claim say earlier observances in other places were either informal, not community-wide or one-time events. Confederate Memorial Day

Many Southern states also have their own days for honoring the Confederate dead. Mississippi celebrates Confederate Memorial Day on the last Monday of April, Alabama on the fourth Monday of April and Georgia on April 26. North and South Carolina observe it on May 10, Louisiana on June 3 and Tennessee calls that date Confederate Decoration Day. Texas celebrates Confederate Heroes Day on January 19. Virginia calls the last Monday in May Confederate Memorial Day. Learn The Stories Of Your Military Ancestors

Memorial Day began as a tribute to Civil War dead. However, it was not until after World War I that the day was expanded to honor those who have died in all American wars. The origins of special services to honor those who die in war can be found in ancient history.

The Ancient Greek leader Pericles offered a tribute to the fallen heroes of the Peloponnesian War over 24 centuries ago. It could still be applied today to the 1.1 million Americans who have died in the nation's wars: "Not only are they commemorated by columns and inscriptions, but there dwells also an unwritten memorial of them, graven not on stone but in the hearts of men." What a fitting reminder to all of us to learn about and tell the stories of our military ancestors who died in service.

Questions

1.Which two of the following sentences from the article include CENTRAL ideas of the article? 1. This holiday is marked as a time to remember and honor military men and women who died while serving in the nation's armed forces.

2. This holiday differs from Veterans Day, which is celebrated in September to honor everyone who served in the U.S. military, whether or not they died in service.

3. Today cities in the North and the South claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day between 1864 and 1866.

4. The origins of special services to honor those who die in war can be found in ancient history.

2.Read the following summary of the article.

Memorial Day is celebrated on the last Monday of every May. It is different from Veterans Day, which honors all soldiers. Memorial Day started off as Decoration Day and was first celebrated on May 5, 1868. However, some argue that Decoration Day originated years before when women visited grave sites of fallen Confederate soldiers. Many cities claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day. However, the only thing that matters is that we pay tribute to those who have fallen in American wars.

Is this an objective summary? Why or why not?

3.Read the following paragraph from the section "Learn The Stories Of Your Military Ancestors."

The Ancient Greek leader Pericles offered a tribute to the fallen heroes of the Peloponnesian War over 24 centuries ago. It could still be applied today to the 1.1 million Americans who have died in the nation's wars: "Not only are they commemorated by columns and inscriptions, but there dwells also an unwritten memorial of them, graven not on stone but in the hearts of men." What a fitting reminder to all of us to learn about and tell the stories of our military ancestors who died in service.

How would the article change if this paragraph came before the introduction [paragraphs 1-2]? 4.What is the MAIN reason the author includes the section “Origins Of Memorial Day”?

5.Write a short paragraph that explains the central idea of the article. Use at least two details from the article to support your response.