Memorial Day was officially proclaimed in 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11 , and was first observed on May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. • The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873 • 1890 - Memorial Day was recognized by all northern states. • The South refused to acknowledge the day until after World War I What changed? The holiday now honors all Americans who died fighting in any war, not just those that died fighting in the Civil War. • Some southern states still have a separate day honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi May 10 in South Carolina June 3 in Louisiana and Tennessee, which just happens to be Jefferson Davis' birthday Memorial Day (Remembrance Day, Poppy Day , Armistice Day)