Though Memorial Day started as a way to commemorate the dead of the Civil War, today it is nearly synonymous with the start of summer. Here's why it's a three-day weekend
The change can be traced to the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, a piece of legislation passed in 1968 and enacted in 1971, which declared that certain holidays would take place on certain Mondays. The primary reasoning behind the move to Mondays was commercial, according to Jennifer Mittelstadt, a history professor at Rutgers University.
“It has everything to do with commerce in the United States,” she says. “Travel organizations had been pushing for three-day weekends like this since the 1950s, and they finally got the employee unions on board and the federal employee unions on board because there was a fair amount of agreement that it’d be good for business.”The act passed quite easily in 1968 for certain holidays, despite some religious groups concerned that three-day weekends would put a dent in Sunday-school attendance.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Selena Gomez looks comfortable in sweats during Memorial Day weekendSelena Gomez kept it casual Sunday. The actress looked much younger than her 29 years when she was spotted going to the grocery store with friends in Malibu.
Read more »
The Reason Why We Celebrate Memorial DayThe historical reason for Memorial Day signifies much more than just a three-day weekend
Read more »
Sofia Vergara and A-listers spend Memorial Day weekend by the poolSofia Vergara puts on a cheeky display in a green swimsuit as she leads the stars enjoying Memorial Day weekend by the pool
Read more »