Happy Memorial Day: “Memorial Day Was Born From Grief — and Immigration”

Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Defense Website

I found this piece on the history of Memorial Day to offer interesting perspective on the holiday. 

“During the Civil War, roughly one-quarter of the more than two million soldiers in the Union Army were immigrants, and even more were the children of immigrants. All told, more than 40% of Union soldiers were either foreign-born or had a foreign-born parent.

Many had just arrived in the US — from Ireland and Germany (the largest groups, at roughly 150,000 to 200,000 each), as well as Hungary, Italy, and other parts of Europe. Most were poor, spoke little or no English, and had come in search of a better life.

The Union needed soldiers, and they were willing to pay.”

Click here for more on immigrant contributions to the military.

KJ