Memorial Day Coverage Shows Different Historical and Cultural Interpretation

As Americans observe Memorial Day, several commentators across the political spectrum reflected on the holiday's origins, meaning and modern significance.

For Context: Memorial Day is an American holiday created to honor military personnel who've died while serving. Although it was officially recognized as a federal holiday in 1971, observances date back to the end of the Civil War, when the holiday was first established to commemorate fallen soldiers.

Origins of Memorial Day: Outlets differed on where and when Memorial Day began. An opinion writer in the Baltimore Sun (Center bias) pointed to Waterloo, New York citing its community-wide observance in 1866 and President Lyndon Johnson's declaration of the town as Memorial Day's birthplace. Associated Press (Lean Left) noted several different "first observances," but emphasized a ceremony in Charleston, South Carolina in 1865 where freed slaves honored fallen Union soldiers. Military.com (Lean Left) wrote it was established on May 5, 1868 by General John A. Logan to honor fallen Civil War soldiers. The Washington Times Editorial Board (Lean Right) similarly described Memorial Day's roots in decorating the graves of soldiers killed in battle and supporting those who lost loved ones.

'Sacred, Solemn': Opinion writers in the Baltimore Sun and Washington Post (Lean Left) argued that Memorial Day should be about honoring military sacrifice instead of becoming commercialized. The Baltimore Sun writer argued that the holiday has been "cheapened" by consumer culture and that it's okay to have "solemn" holidays, like President Theodore Roosevelt said. The Post opinion writer said the day was "about real people, real families and real sacrifice," and urged people to "pause for a moment of gratitude." The Associated Press also outlined how the holiday has changed overtime, citing a 1972 article by Time Magazine (Lean Left) that described Memorial Day weekend as a "nationwide hootenanny" that's lost its original purpose.

Fight for 'Liberation': In their article, the Washington Times Editorial Board challenged the idea that "fighting never solved anything" by describing instances throughout American history where wars were fought for freedom, including the Revolutionary War, the Civil War and World War II. It wrote that over 1.1 million Americans have died for the US from 1775 to the present, saying, "They fought to liberate, not to colonize." The board also referenced the current war with Iran, writing the Islamic republic of Iran "has made it abundantly clear that it will never give up its fissionable material voluntarily" and suggested this might be another instance where fighting might be needed.

Racial Tension: The Associated Press emphasized the role that freed slaves had in early Memorial Day commemorations. It cited a Yale history professor who argued the first observance should be claimed on May 1, 1865, when roughly 10,000 people–many of them black–honored fallen Union soldiers and dedicated their graves in Charleston, South Carolina. AP also cited another professor who said that although about 180,000 black men served in the Union Army, Memorial Day would essentially become "white Memorial Day," especially after the Jim Crow era.

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