Memorial Day

Decorating graves with flowers, from a Civil War grassroots ritual of remembrance to a national tradition honoring all military dead.

Since the first Decoration Day, the cemetery morphed from one of many Civil War burial grounds to a unique place of honor.

A century and a half after the Civil War, Mayor Mitch Landrieu asked his city to reexamine its past — and to wrestle with hard truths.

As a young woman, civil rights pioneer Pauli Murray discovered that the flag could be used as a symbol of defiance.

As Americans enjoy the holiday weekend, does anyone know how Memorial Day originated?

On “all wars” memorials.

Are we honoring all of our American heroes this Memorial Day?

A Depression-era story of mourning, motherhood, and grandiosity.

For some Americans, history isn’t the story of what actually happened; it’s the story they want to believe.

Our young nation was very poor, the war was very expensive, and Congress and the states wanted everyone else to pay.

It’s an exhaustive list. Far longer and deeper than you might suspect.

On Memorial Day weekend, we celebrate an icon of vernacular design.

The Trump Administration has clamored for a military parade. What are the origins of tank-led celebrations?

Eighty years ago, striking workers in Chicago were shot down by police. It transformed the course of labor rights in the US.