The forgotten role that women played in the creation of Memorial Day

(WOMENSENEWS)--Much of women's history is missing from our public story. One more example; women were almost entirely responsible for the recognition of Memorial Day. Its origin was the Civil War and until recently, the day focused on the terrible War between the States that, at tremendous human cost, ended legalized racial slavery in the United States.

Just weeks after the Civil War ended in April 1865, Ellen Call Long organized a women's memorial society to reconcile embittered enemies. Usually named some variant of "women's relief society," groups sprang up in both the North and South that not only memorialized the dead, but also cared for the war's disabled and its widows and orphans.

Read the full article HERE

• Facebook
• Twitter
• StumbleUpon
• Digg
• Delicious
• Reddit
• Technorati