Confederate Memorial Day Explained

Confederate Memorial Day should not be confused with Memorial Day.

Holiday Name:Confederate Memorial Day
Type:local
Nickname:Confederate Heroes Day, Confederate Decoration Day
Observedby:Southern states (United States)
Longtype:Cultural
Duration:1 day
Date:
  • January 19 (TX)
  • Fourth Monday in
    April (AL, FL)
  • Last Monday in April (MS)
  • May 10 (NC, SC)
  • June 3 (KY, TN)
Frequency:annual
Observances:Remembrance of Confederate soldiers who died during the American Civil War

Confederate Memorial Day (called Confederate Heroes Day in Texas and Florida, and Confederate Decoration Day in Tennessee) is a holiday observed in several Southern U.S. states on various dates since the end of the American Civil War. The holiday was originally publicly presented as a day to remember the estimated 258,000 Confederate soldiers who died during the American Civil War.[1]

The holiday originated at a local level by Ladies' Memorial Associations to care for the graves of Confederate dead.[2] In 1866, General John A. Logan commanded the posts of Grand Army of the Republic to strew flowers on the graves of Union soldiers, which observance later became the national Memorial Day. In a speech to veterans in Salem, Illinois, on July 4, 1866, Logan referred to the various dates of observance adopted in the South for the practice, saying "…traitors in the South have their gatherings day after day, to strew garlands of flowers upon the graves of Rebel soldiers..."

The Southern Poverty Law Center has condemned the holiday as part of a campaign of "racial terror" on the part of white supremacists - "an organized propaganda campaign, created to instill fear and ensure the ongoing oppression of formerly enslaved people." Writers and historians have pointed out that the holiday's official recognition by states often coincided with the height of Jim Crow racism around the United States, decades after the war ended.[3] [4] Renewed interest also revived the holiday in some places during the beginning of the civil rights movement in the 1950s.[5]

It is currently an official state holiday in Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas (where state employees are entitled to a paid day off work), while it is commemorated in Kentucky, Florida, North Carolina, and Tennessee.[6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] It was also formerly recognized in Missouri, Louisiana, and Virginia.[13] In Georgia, a state holiday is still observed on the 4th Monday in April however, since 2016, it is referred to simply as a "State Holiday". Several states celebrate the date on or near April 26, when the last major Confederate field army surrendered at Bennett Place, North Carolina in 1865.[14]

Origins

In the spring of 1866 the Ladies Memorial Association of Columbus, Georgia, passed a resolution to set aside one day annually to memorialize the Confederate war dead. Mary Ann Williams, the association secretary, was directed to pen a letter inviting ladies associations in every former Confederate state to join them in the observance.[15] Their invitation was written in March 1866 and sent to all of the principal cities in the former Confederacy, including Atlanta;[16] Macon;[17] Montgomery; Memphis; Richmond; St. Louis; Alexandria; Columbia;[18] and New Orleans, as well as smaller towns like Staunton, Virginia;[19] Anderson, South Carolina;[20] and Wilmington, North Carolina.[21] The actual date for the holiday was selected by Elizabeth Rutherford Ellis.[22] She chose April 26, the first anniversary of Confederate General Johnston's surrender to Union Major General Sherman at Bennett Place. For many in the Confederacy, that date in 1865 marked the end of the Civil War.[15]

The first official celebration as a public holiday occurred in 1874, following a proclamation by the Georgia legislature.[23] By 1916, ten states celebrated it, on June 3, the birthday of CSA President Jefferson Davis.[23] Other states chose late April dates, or May 10, commemorating Davis' capture.[23]

Historians have pointed out that the holiday's official recognition by states often coincided with the height of Jim Crow racism around the United States. In some places, the holiday attracted revived interest as a reaction to the early civil rights movement in the 1950s.

Connection to Memorial Day

In their book, The Genesis of the Memorial Day Holiday in America, Bellware and Gardiner assert that the national Memorial Day holiday is a direct offshoot of the observance begun by the Ladies Memorial Association of Columbus, Georgia in 1866. In a few places, most notably Columbus, Mississippi[24] and Macon, Georgia,[25] both Confederate and Union graves were decorated during the first observance. The day was even referred to as Memorial Day by The Baltimore Sun on May 8, 1866, after the ladies organization that started it. The name Confederate Memorial Day was not used until the Northern observance was initiated in 1868.[26]

While initially cool to the idea of a Northern version of the holiday, General John A. Logan was eventually won over. His General Order No. 11, issued May 5, 1868, commanded the posts of Grand Army of the Republic to strew flowers on the graves of Union soldiers. The Grand Army of the Republic eventually adopted the name Memorial Day at their national encampment in 1882.[27]

Many theories have been offered as to how Logan became aware of the former Confederate tradition he imitated in 1868. In her autobiography, his wife Mary Logan claims she told him about it after a trip to Virginia in the spring of that year.[28] His secretary and his adjutant also claim they told him about it. John Murray of Waterloo, New York, claims it was he who inspired Logan in 1868. Bellware and Gardiner, however, offer proof that Logan was aware of the Southern tributes long before any of them had a chance to mention it to him.[29] In a speech to veterans in Salem, Illinois, on July 4, 1866, Logan referred to the various dates of observance adopted in the South for the practice saying "…traitors in the South have their gatherings day after day, to strew garlands of flowers upon the graves of Rebel soldiers..."[30]

Statutory holidays

Confederate Memorial Day is a statutory holiday in Alabama on the fourth Monday in April, in Mississippi on the final Monday in April, and in South Carolina on May 10.[31] [32] [33] [34] In all of these states, state offices are closed on this day (in Texas a so-called "skeleton crew" is required however staff are later compensated for their work on the holiday.[35]

In Georgia, the fourth Monday in April was formerly celebrated as Confederate Memorial Day, but beginning in 2016, in response to the Charleston church shooting, the names of Confederate Memorial Day and Robert E. Lee's Birthday were struck from the state calendar and the statutory holidays were designated simply as "state holidays".[36] Florida also continues to officially designate Confederate Memorial Day on the fourth Monday in April, although state offices remain open.[37]

North Carolina also designates the holiday on May 10, although state offices remain open and localities may choose whether to observe it.[38] [39]

In June 2022, the Louisiana State Legislature voted to remove Confederate Memorial Day, as well as Robert E. Lee Day, from the state's calendar of official holidays.[40]

State Recognized Derecognized Type Date
Alabama 1901[41] - State holiday Last Monday in April
Florida 1895[42] - Commemoration Fourth Monday in April
Georgia 1874 2016 4th Monday in April is now called "State Holiday" Fourth Monday in April
Kentucky ? - Commemoration
Louisiana c. 1925[43] 2022 State holiday April 26
Mississippi ? - State holiday Last Monday in April
Missouri ? ?
North Carolina ? - Commemoration May 10
South Carolina 1896[44] - State holiday (made non-optional in 2000) May 10
Tennessee 1903 - Annual proclamation required by law June 3
Texas 1973 - State Holiday (with skeletal crew workers later compensated) January 19
Virginia 1899 2020[45]

Related holidays

Tennessee

In Tennessee, the governor is required by law to proclaim Confederate Decoration Day each June 3.[9]

Texas

In Texas, Robert E. Lee's birthday (January 19) was made a state holiday in 1931.[46] In 1973, "Lee Day" was renamed "Confederate Heroes Day", consolidating it with a holiday celebrating Jefferson Davis and putting it the day after Martin Luther King Day. The official state description of the holiday states it is held "in honor of Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and other Confederate heroes;".[47] State offices remain open but employees may have an optional day off.

Controversy

The holiday has been condemned by the Southern Poverty Law Center as part of a campaign of "racial terror" on the part of white supremacists, "an organized propaganda campaign, created to instill fear and ensure the ongoing oppression of formerly enslaved people".[48] Critics often cite the fact that the Confederacy was formed for the purpose of protecting slavery. Some commemorations have been met with groups of protesters.[49]

Various proposals have been made in the legislatures of the states still recognizing it to remove it from the list of state holidays or commemorations, or to replace it with Juneteenth.[50] [51]

The campaign for de-recognition of the holiday overlaps with that for removal of Confederate monuments and memorials, and is often highlighted after incidents of racial violence, such as the Charleston church shooting, the 2017 Charlottesville car attack,[52] and the 2020 murder of George Floyd.

See also

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Boyer . Paul S. . Paul Boyer (historian) . 2001 . The Oxford Companion to United States History . New York . . 132 . 0-19-508209-5 .
  2. Frank, Lisa Tendrich, The World of the Civil War: A Daily Life Encyclopedia, Volume I, p.517.
  3. Web site: Coaston . Jane . Confederate Memorial Day: when multiple states celebrate treason in defense of slavery . Vox . 10 June 2022 . en . 23 April 2018 . April 13, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220413090540/https://www.vox.com/2018/4/23/17271408/confederate-memorial-day-racism-civil-war-slavery . live .
  4. Book: Frank . Lisa Tendrich . The World of the Civil War: A Daily Life Encyclopedia [2 volumes]

    A Daily Life Encyclopedia ]

    . 28 July 2015 . ABC-CLIO . 978-1-4408-2979-6 . 517 . 10 June 2022 . en.
  5. Book: Cox . Karen L. . No Common Ground: Confederate Monuments and the Ongoing Fight for Racial Justice . 23 February 2021 . UNC Press Books . 978-1-4696-6268-8 . en.
  6. Web site: Code of Laws – Title 53 – Chapter 5 – Legal Holidays. www.scstatehouse.gov. en. May 17, 2018. May 18, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180518055143/https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t53c005.php. live.
  7. News: Confederate Memorial Day still recognized in Alabama and across the South. AL.com. May 17, 2018. en-US. May 18, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180518055200/https://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2015/04/confederate_memorial_day_still.html. live.
  8. News: Alabama Code Title 1. General Provisions § 1-3-8. Findlaw. May 17, 2018. en-US. May 18, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180518060530/https://codes.findlaw.com/al/title-1-general-provisions/al-code-sect-1-3-8.html. live.
  9. Allison, Natalie (July 12, 2019). "Gov. Bill Lee Signs Nathan Bedford Forrest Day Proclamation, Is Not Considering Law Change." The Tennessean (Tennessean.com). Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  10. News: Pandering to the base: Florida protects Confederate holidays, makes felons of protesters – Editorial . Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board . . April 20, 2021 . May 11, 2021 . May 12, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210512084727/https://www.orlandosentinel.com/opinion/editorials/os-op-florida-confederate-memorial-day-juneteenth-20210420-v57lx3ci2zaizmlcom2zolee7q-story.html . live .
  11. News: State Offices Close For 'Confederate Memorial Day' In Alabama And MississippiHere's Why It's (Still) An Official Holiday There . Reimann . Nicholas . . April 26, 2021 . May 11, 2021 . May 11, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210511211857/https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2021/04/26/state-offices-close-for-confederate-memorial-day-in-alabama-and-mississippi-heres-why-its-still-an-official-holiday-there/?sh=27e989f835fe . live .
  12. Web site: GOVERNMENT CODE CHAPTER 662. HOLIDAYS AND RECOGNITION DAYS, WEEKS, AND MONTHS . 2024-01-21 . statutes.capitol.texas.gov.
  13. Book: . Bulletin of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics . Washington, DC . . 68 . 1925 .
  14. Book: Woolf . Henry Bosley . Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary . 1976 . . Springfield, Massachusetts . 236 . 0-87779-338-7 . 5207141M .
  15. Web site: Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials, and Legends ...: Under the code duello ... . Lucian Lamar Knight . 156 . Books.google.com . January 15, 2016 . 1914 . January 16, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160116060332/https://books.google.com/books?id=0zczAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA156 . live .
  16. Web site: The Soldiers' Graves . Atlanta Intelligencer . March 21, 1866 . 2 . . February 27, 2017 . February 28, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170228085214/http://atlnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/atlnewspapers-j2k/view?docId=bookreader%2Fadi%2Fadi1866%2Fadi1866-0248.mets.xml#page/n0/mode/1up . live .
  17. Web site: "Woman's Honor to the Gallant Dead," Macon Telegraph, March 26, 1866, p. 5 . . February 27, 2017 . June 10, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220610193552/https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/regions/middle/?docId=bookreader%2Fmwt%2Fmwt1866%2Fmwt1866-0069.mets.xml%3B#page/n0/mode/1up . live .
  18. "In Memory of the Confederate Dead," Daily Phoenix, Columbia, SC, April 4, 1866, p. 2 . . April 4, 1866 . February 26, 2017 . February 28, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170228165838/http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84027008/1866-04-04/ed-1/seq-2/ . live .
  19. "The Southern Dead," Staunton Spectator, Staunton, VA, March 27, 1866 p.1 . . March 27, 1866 . February 26, 2017 . February 28, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170228165814/http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84024718/1866-03-27/ed-1/seq-1/ . live .
  20. "The Southern Dead," Anderson Intelligencer, Anderson Court House, SC, March 29, 1866, p.1 . . March 29, 1866 . February 26, 2017 . February 28, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170228171746/http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84026965/1866-03-29/ed-1/seq-1/ . live .
  21. "In Memory of the Confederate Dead," Wilmington Journal, Wilmington, NC, April 5, 1866, p.1 . . April 5, 1866 . February 25, 2017 . March 1, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170301094028/http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84026536/1866-04-05/ed-1/seq-1/ . live .
  22. Web site: Lizzie Rutherford (1833–1873) | New Georgia Encyclopedia . Georgiaencyclopedia.org . 2004 . January 15, 2016 . May 11, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130511235731/http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2901 . live .
  23. Web site: Confederate Memorial Day in Georgia . GeorgiaInfo . University of Georgia . January 22, 2019 . January 22, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190122195602/https://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/topics/history/article/civil-war-reconstruction-1861-1877/confederate-memorial-day-in-georgia . dead .
  24. News: "Confederate Soldiers' Dead," Louisiana Democrat, July 18, 1866 . July 18, 1866 . . February 23, 2017 . February 25, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170225134413/http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82003389/1866-07-18/ed-1/seq-3/ . live .
  25. News: Will They Notice This Touching Tribute . Ohio Statesman . Columbus, OH . 2 . May 4, 1866 . . February 23, 2017 . February 26, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170226132246/http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84028645/1866-05-04/ed-1/seq-2/ . live .
  26. Book: Bellware, Daniel. The Genesis of the Memorial Day Holiday in America. Columbus State University. 2014. 9780692292259. Columbus, GA. 87.
  27. Book: Beath, Robert B. . The Grand Army Blue-Book Containing the Rules and Regulations of the Grand Army of the Republic and Decisions and Opinions Thereon .. . Philadelphia . . 118 . 1884 . February 25, 2017 . February 26, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170226131803/https://books.google.com/books?id=6BZCAAAAIAAJ . live .
  28. Web site: Logan, Mrs. John A., Reminiscences of a Soldier's Wife, C. Scribner sons, 1913, p. 243 . Google Books . February 23, 2017 . Logan . Mrs. John A. . 1913 . February 25, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170225134723/https://books.google.com/books?id=lBJCAAAAIAAJ . live .
  29. Book: Bellware, Daniel. The Genesis of the Memorial Day Holiday in America. Columbus State University. 2014. 9780692292259. Columbus, GA. 144.
  30. News: Illinois – Gen. Logan on Reconstruction," New York Tribune July 14, 1866 p. 5.. July 14, 1866. Library of Congress. April 29, 2018. April 30, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180430113818/https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1866-07-14/ed-1/seq-5/. live.
  31. Web site: Confederate Memorial Day in the United States . time and date.com . Time and Date AS . October 17, 2017 . October 17, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171017093718/https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/confederate-memorial-day . live .
  32. News: The Associated Press . April 27, 2015 . Confederate Memorial Day still recognized in Alabama and across the South . Alabama Media Group . January 15, 2016 . July 26, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150726194320/http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2015/04/confederate_memorial_day_still.html . live .
  33. Web site: Confederate Memorial Day . Sos.ms.gov . April 27, 2015 . January 15, 2016 . January 28, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160128045649/http://www.sos.ms.gov/Education-Publications/Pages/Proclamation-Confederate.aspx . live .
  34. Web site: Code of Laws - Title 53 - Chapter 5 - Legal Holidays . www.scstatehouse.gov . May 17, 2018 . May 18, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180518055143/https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t53c005.php . live .
  35. Web site: State of Texas Holiday Schedule - Fiscal 2024 . 2024-01-21 . comptroller.texas.gov.
  36. News: Why Monday is no longer Confederate Memorial Day in Georgia . April 23, 2018 . February 15, 2020 . February 15, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200215202135/https://www.ajc.com/blog/politics/confederate-memorial-day-disappears-from-2016-georgia-holiday-calendars/ef2nD9pIa8itUbrEKhBbvL/ . live .
  37. News: staff . News4Jax . Confederate Memorial Day remains legal holiday in Florida, other southern states . WJXT . 26 April 2021 . en . May 11, 2021 . May 12, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210512150220/https://www.news4jax.com/news/florida/2021/04/26/confederate-memorial-day-remains-legal-holiday-in-florida-other-southern-states/ . live .
  38. News: Do Some US States Observe 'Confederate Memorial Day'? . Snopes.com . May 11, 2021 . March 25, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220325205649/https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/confederate-memorial-day/ . live .
  39. News: What the controversial Confederate Memorial Day would be in other countries . Annalisa . Merelli . May 10, 2018 . . May 13, 2018 . May 14, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180514065556/https://qz.com/1274668/confederate-memorial-day-historical-equivalents-in-germany-russia-italy-and-more/ . live .
  40. Web site: Canicosa . J. C. . Louisiana Legislature agrees to get rid of Confederate state holidays . Louisiana Illuminator . June 10, 2022 . June 7, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220607033632/https://lailluminator.com/briefs/louisiana-legislature-agrees-to-get-rid-of-confederate-state-holidays/ . live .
  41. http://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1663? Confederate Memorial Day - Encyclopedia of Alabama
  42. https://www.mynews13.com/fl/orlando/news/2021/01/16/5-things-to-know-about-florida-s-confederate-holidays 5 things to know about Florida's Confederate holidays
  43. https://www.blackenterprise.com/louisiana-senate-approves-removing-robert-e-lee-day-and-confederate-memorial-day-from-states-legal-holiday-calendar/ Louisiana Senate Approves Removing Robert E. Lee Day and Confederate Memorial Day From State’s Legal Holiday Calendar
  44. https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/2022/05/05/south-carolina-confederate-memorial-day-how-observed-changes-proposed-racism-juneteenth/9543034002/ How South Carolina observes Confederate Memorial Day and how that could change
  45. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/virginia-jackson-lee-holiday-confederate-generals-not-celebrated-2021-first-time-in-100-years/ Virginia holiday commemorating Confederate generals won't be celebrated in 2021, for the first time in over 100 years
  46. Web site: TEXAS CONFEDERATE HEROES DAY AND CONFEDERATE MEMORIAL DAY . Texas Division United Daughters of the Confederacy . “House Bill 126, 42nd Legislature Regular Session. Chapter 8. Approved and Effective January 30, 1931 as Robert E. Lee's Birthday.; Senate Bill 60, 63rd Legislature Regular Session. Chapter 221. Approved June 1, 1973 and Effective August 27, 1973 as Confederate Heroes Day. This bill deleted June 3rd as a holiday for Jefferson Davis' birthday and combined the two into Confederate Heroes Day.” . June 7, 2021 . June 7, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210607173646/https://www.txudc.org/TCHMDHandout.pdf . live .
  47. News: What is Confederate Heroes Day and why do Texans still celebrate it today? . . Jakob Rodriguez . Japhanie Gray . 19 January 2021 . 2023-01-25 . June 7, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210607173646/https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2021/01/19/what-is-confederate-heroes-day-and-why-do-texans-still-celebrate-it-today/ . live .
  48. https://www.news4jax.com/news/florida/2021/04/26/confederate-memorial-day-remains-legal-holiday-in-florida-other-southern-states/ Confederate Memorial Day remains legal holiday in Florida, other southern states
  49. https://thehill.com/news/state-watch/3473603-civil-rights-activists-protest-confederate-memorial-day-at-georgias-stone-mountain/ Civil rights activists protest Confederate Memorial Day at Georgia’s Stone Mountain
  50. https://floridaphoenix.com/blog/a-day-to-celebrate-confederate-memorial-day-is-still-on-the-books-in-fl/ A day to celebrate? Confederate Memorial Day is still on the books in FL
  51. https://www.wftv.com/news/local/confederate-memorial-day-what-is-controversial-holiday-recognized-florida/DEQFWYXUMVGP3F4HENP2PKBDRA/ Confederate Memorial Day: What is the controversial holiday recognized in Florida?
  52. https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/2018/06/03/confederate-memorial-day-jefferson-davis-kentucky/667550002/ Why is today Confederate Memorial Day in Kentucky?

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