Blight, newly freed African Americans who had fought in the Civil War adorned soldiers' graves in 1865, marking the first Memorial Day on record ... 1865," Blight told History.com.

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, began after the American Civil War as a way to honor fallen soldiers.

More than 160 years after Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox, echoes of the Civil ...

Now Holbert’s name is finally being etched into history—along ... received a Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award for Social Progress in 2012). “I want our memorial to be a correction ...

For many, Memorial Day means a cookout, a day at the beach or a surefire three-day weekend. It's widely considered the ...