Memorial Day heralds the beginning of summer for a lot of families, as it is the first major holiday in the summer. It is a three day weekend and unfortunately, we often forget what we’re celebrating. Why do we celebrate Memorial Day? What is the holiday all about? Well, dating back as far as the Civil War, it has been a day that we, as a country, use to honor the memory of those who have died fighting for our freedom.
The History of Memorial Day – Here you can learn all about the history of Memorial Day. Find out how it was first celebrated and by who. You’ll also find out what town is the official birthplace of Memorial Day.
A Timeline of America’s Wars – This section breaks down into three categories. The categories are: 18th Century, 19th Century and the 20th and 21st Century. In this section, the name of the war will be linked to more information for it, so you can really learn a lot about the wars for each period of time.
Did You Know? – This section has a lot of facts that you may not have known about until today!
Memorial Day Videos – This section is also divided into three categories. They are: Veterans’ Experience, World War II and Civil War.
In the Veterans’ Experience videos, you will find ten videos that are about Memorial Day, veterans or the wars. Some are clips as short as twenty seconds, while others are several minutes long. I learned a lot from watching them.
In the World War II videos section, you will find five videos relating to that war. From D-Day to the Battle of Midway, they’re all there.
In the Civil War section, you will find almost 20 videos about the Civil War. From specific battles to what the soldiers ate while out in the field, you are sure to learn a lot here.
Battle Maps – Here you will find 13 maps from different battles. You can see them in full detail, zoom in and out and more. The Civil War maps were very interesting, because you can see the movement of each side, their victories and losses and even the division of states between Confederate and Union.
Veterans Forums – I adore this part of the site. Here you can read real veterans’ experiences, search for a veteran and so much more. It really provides a connection between veterans and the average person.
Well, I hope you learn as much about Memorial Day as I did. Now, I’m off to talk to the veteran I hold closest to my heart: my dad. Have a wonderful Memorial Day!
http://www.history.com/minisites/memorial/
~ Amanda
