Memorial Day is a holiday celebrated in the United States, but where did it come from? Why do we celebrate it? And isn't it just the same as Veterans Day? Those are the questions we are answering on today's episode of Hello from the Fan. To begin, we need to understand a little bit of the history of the United States. To get us to where we are today, there were two major wars that happened. The first was the Revolutionary War. This was between 1775 and 1783. This is the war fought against the British to establish American independence. Hoorah! Memorial Day has absolutely nothing to do with the Revolutionary War. I simply wanted to mention that this is the war that made it so that we can talk about freedom units and say things like sweater and elevator and parking lot instead of jumpa and lift and copak in it. You know, those kind of things. The second war that was fundamental to our identity as a nation was the Civil War. This war was fought about two basic principles, slavery and the economics surrounding it. This war is why we have Memorial Day. The Civil War began in April of 1861 and, for all intents and purposes, ended on May 23rd, 1865. More on that later. The Civil War is a very unique part of American history because it was a war fought against ourselves. Both sides of the war were from the United States. Those who wanted to keep slavery were called the Confederates, and those who wanted to get rid of slavery were called the Union or the Yankees. Naturally, there were many who disagreed with neighbors and family and friends. I mean, just think about politics today. Does it seem like any of the adults agree on anything? Well, it was the same back then. During this short four-year period, brother fought against brother, neighbor fought against neighbor, and entire communities were decimated by war and death. At the end of the war, over 700,000 people had died. To put this into perspective, that was around 2% of the United States population at that time. In modern day numbers, that would be over 7 million people. If you're still having a hard time imagining that level of mortality in present day, 2% of the United States' population is New Mexico, Wyoming, Idaho, and Utah combined. Or the whole of present-day New York City. It's a lot of people. Rightfully, those left behind in 1865 were in a state of mourning. They needed a way to remember, honor, and grieve their fallen family members and friends. The result of this time in American history is Memorial Day. You'll notice that Memorial Day is held on the last Monday of each May. This is to coordinate to May 23rd, 1865, which is celebrated as the symbolic end of the Civil War. May 23, 1865 marked the first day of the Grand Review of Armies in Washington, D.C. This was a two-day celebration where 150,000 Union soldiers paraded through the Capitol, providing a massive and cathartic celebration that the Union had been preserved. In actuality, the ending of the Civil War took some time. It took the course over months, as some Confederate armies didn't surrender until much later in the year. But by May 23rd, the tides had shifted and celebrations had already begun. It's a funny thing, history. It tends to be written by the winners. And one of those winners was a man named John A. Logan. He was a Union commander and general who chose May 30th, 1868 as a day to decorate the graves of Union troops across the nation. Well, it began as a remembrance for those who died in the Civil War. As the United States would then pass through World Wars I and II, those service members were added to memorial festivities as well. It took a while. It was actually not until 1971 that Memorial Day was established as a federal holiday. Even following that establishment, there were still large areas of the United States that refused to celebrate it, choosing to celebrate Confederate Memorial Day instead. Today, however, the entire United States marks Memorial Day as a day of remembrance for all who have died in the service of the United States, both in peace and in war. If you're wondering how this is different than Veterans Day, you are not alone. There's definitely a difference. Veterans Day in November is to celebrate all service members who have served both past and present. Basically, Memorial Day is to memorialize those who have died, and Veterans Day is to celebrate those who have lived. To end the podcast today, I leave with you a quote by President John F. Kennedy. As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter the words, but to live by them. I'm Mimi Fotz, and this has been the Memorial Day episode of Hello from the Van.