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30-754: The graves of soldiers are to the south of the Confederate Soldier Monument, with cannons pointing north, symbolically threatening the United States and protecting the deceased rebels. Elodie Todd Dawson , buried nearby, was head of the Ladies Memorial Association (later the United Daughters of the Confederacy ) and spearheaded the effort to build the $ 5,500 Confederate Monument in the cemetery and move 155 Confederate soldiers' bodies to

60-733: A resolution to set aside one day annually to memorialize the Confederate war dead. Mary Ann Williams , the association secretary, was directed to pen a letter inviting ladies associations in every former Confederate state to join them in the observance. Their invitation was written in March 1866 and sent to all of the principal cities in the former Confederacy, including Atlanta ; Macon ; Montgomery ; Memphis ; Richmond ; St. Louis ; Alexandria ; Columbia ; and New Orleans , as well as smaller towns like Staunton, Virginia ; Anderson, South Carolina ; and Wilmington, North Carolina . The actual date for

90-595: Is a historic cemetery in Selma, Alabama founded in 1829 and expanded in 1877. The newer portion is sometimes called New Live Oak Cemetery and the cemetery is collectively known as Live Oak Cemetery . It contains burials of Confederate States of America leaders, as well Benjamin Sterling Turner , a formerly enslaved African-American who served as U.S. Representative for Alabama during the Reconstruction era . The cemetery

120-426: Is at 110 Dallas Avenue approximately 0.7 miles (1.1 km) west of downtown Selma. The graves of soldiers are to the south of the Confederate Soldier Monument, with cannons pointing north, symbolically threatening the United States and protecting the deceased rebels. Elodie Todd Dawson , buried nearby, was head of the Ladies Memorial Association (later the United Daughters of the Confederacy ) and spearheaded

150-637: Is required by law to proclaim Confederate Decoration Day each June 3. In Texas , Robert E. Lee's birthday (January 19) was made a state holiday in 1931. In 1973, "Lee Day" was renamed "Confederate Heroes Day", consolidating it with a holiday celebrating Jefferson Davis and putting it the day after Martin Luther King Day . The official state description of the holiday states it is held "in honor of Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and other Confederate heroes;". State offices remain open but employees may have an optional day off. The holiday has been condemned by

180-577: The American Civil War . The holiday was originally publicly presented as a day to remember the estimated 258,000 Confederate soldiers who died during the American Civil War. The holiday originated at a local level by Ladies' Memorial Associations to care for the graves of Confederate dead. In 1866, General John A. Logan commanded the posts of Grand Army of the Republic to strew flowers on

210-504: The Southern Poverty Law Center as part of a campaign of "racial terror" on the part of white supremacists , "an organized propaganda campaign, created to instill fear and ensure the ongoing oppression of formerly enslaved people". Critics often cite the fact that the Confederacy was formed for the purpose of protecting slavery. Some commemorations have been met with groups of protesters. Various proposals have been made in

240-574: The Memorial Day Holiday in America , Bellware and Gardiner assert that the national Memorial Day holiday is a direct offshoot of the observance begun by the Ladies Memorial Association of Columbus, Georgia in 1866. In a few places, most notably Columbus, Mississippi and Macon, Georgia, both Confederate and Union graves were decorated during the first observance. The day was even referred to as Memorial Day by The Baltimore Sun on May 8, 1866, after

270-454: The Republic eventually adopted the name Memorial Day at their national encampment in 1882. Many theories have been offered as to how Logan became aware of the former Confederate tradition he imitated in 1868. In her autobiography, his wife Mary Logan claims she told him about it after a trip to Virginia in the spring of that year. His secretary and his adjutant also claim they told him about it. John Murray of Waterloo, New York , claims it

300-443: The birthday of CSA President Jefferson Davis . Other states chose late April dates, or May 10, commemorating Davis' capture. Historians have pointed out that the holiday's official recognition by states often coincided with the height of Jim Crow racism around the United States. In some places, the holiday attracted revived interest as a reaction to the early civil rights movement in the 1950s. In their book, The Genesis of

330-402: The central cause of the war was slavery. The Elodie Todd Dawson Monument marks the graves of Elodie Todd Dawson (April 1, 1844 – November 14, 1881) and her husband Confederate Col. Nathaniel H. R. Dawson (1829–1895). Elodie Todd Dawson was the half-sister of Mary Todd Lincoln , wife of President Abraham Lincoln . After the war Nathaniel Dawson was appointed U.S. Commissioner of Education,

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360-546: The effort to build the $ 5,500 Confederate Monument in the cemetery and move 155 Confederate soldiers' bodies to the monument. The United Daughters of the Confederacy were responsible for spreading the myth of the Lost Cause of the Confederacy , which claims the cause of the Confederate States during the American Civil War was just, heroic, and not centered on slavery. The Lost Cause Myth is a whitewashing of history that frames

390-646: The first from Alabama. Nathaniel Dawson also served as a member of the Alabama legislature which included serving as Speaker of the House. He was an organizer in the Democratic Party. Dawson was considered a leading citizen of Selma who raised money for Selma's Charity Hospital and Dallas Academy. He was a church leader at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, where his funeral was held. In 2015, the Elodie Todd Dawson sculpture

420-505: The fourth Monday in April was formerly celebrated as Confederate Memorial Day, but beginning in 2016, in response to the Charleston church shooting , the names of Confederate Memorial Day and Robert E. Lee 's Birthday were struck from the state calendar and the statutory holidays were designated simply as "state holidays". Florida also continues to officially designate Confederate Memorial Day on

450-479: The fourth Monday in April, although state offices remain open. North Carolina also designates the holiday on May 10, although state offices remain open and localities may choose whether to observe it. In June 2022, the Louisiana State Legislature voted to remove Confederate Memorial Day, as well as Robert E. Lee Day, from the state's calendar of official holidays. In Tennessee, the governor

480-524: The graves of Union soldiers, which observance later became the national Memorial Day . In a speech to veterans in Salem, Illinois , on July 4, 1866, Logan referred to the various dates of observance adopted in the South for the practice, saying "…traitors in the South have their gatherings day after day, to strew garlands of flowers upon the graves of Rebel soldiers..." The Southern Poverty Law Center has condemned

510-617: The graves of Rebel soldiers..." Confederate Memorial Day is a statutory holiday in Alabama on the fourth Monday in April, in Mississippi on the final Monday in April, and in South Carolina on May 10. In all of these states, state offices are closed on this day (in Texas a so-called "skeleton crew" is required however staff are later compensated for their work on the holiday. In Georgia ,

540-399: The holiday as part of a campaign of " racial terror " on the part of white supremacists - "an organized propaganda campaign, created to instill fear and ensure the ongoing oppression of formerly enslaved people." Writers and historians have pointed out that the holiday's official recognition by states often coincided with the height of Jim Crow racism around the United States, decades after

570-551: The holiday was selected by Elizabeth Rutherford Ellis . She chose April 26, the first anniversary of Confederate General Johnston's surrender to Union Major General Sherman at Bennett Place. For many in the Confederacy, that date in 1865 marked the end of the Civil War. The first official celebration as a public holiday occurred in 1874, following a proclamation by the Georgia legislature. By 1916, ten states celebrated it, on June 3,

600-480: The ladies organization that started it. The name Confederate Memorial Day was not used until the Northern observance was initiated in 1868. While initially cool to the idea of a Northern version of the holiday, General John A. Logan was eventually won over. His General Order No. 11, issued May 5, 1868, commanded the posts of Grand Army of the Republic to strew flowers on the graves of Union soldiers. The Grand Army of

630-422: The legislatures of the states still recognizing it to remove it from the list of state holidays or commemorations, or to replace it with Juneteenth . The campaign for de-recognition of the holiday overlaps with that for removal of Confederate monuments and memorials , and is often highlighted after incidents of racial violence, such as the Charleston church shooting , the 2017 Charlottesville car attack , and

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660-533: The monument. The United Daughters of the Confederacy were responsible for spreading the myth of the Lost Cause of the Confederacy , which claims the cause of the Confederate States during the American Civil War was just, heroic, and not centered on slavery. The Lost Cause Myth is a whitewashing of history that frames the war as a defense of states' rights, and as necessary to protect their agrarian economy against supposed Northern aggression. Modern historians overwhelmingly disagree with these characterizations, noting that

690-500: The structure. The building was used for Confederate Memorial Day band concerts and programs each spring. It is now used for storage. Confederate Memorial Day Confederate Memorial Day (called Confederate Heroes Day in Texas and Florida , and Confederate Decoration Day in Tennessee ) is a holiday observed in several Southern U.S. states on various dates since the end of

720-458: The war as a defense of states' rights, and as necessary to protect their agrarian economy against supposed Northern aggression. Modern historians overwhelmingly disagree with these characterizations, noting that the central cause of the war was slavery. The Elodie Todd Dawson Monument marks the graves of Elodie Todd Dawson (April 1, 1844 – November 14, 1881) and her husband Confederate Col. Nathaniel H. R. Dawson (1829–1895). Elodie Todd Dawson

750-449: The war ended. Renewed interest also revived the holiday in some places during the beginning of the civil rights movement in the 1950s. It is currently an official state holiday in Alabama , Mississippi , South Carolina and Texas (where state employees are entitled to a paid day off work), while it is commemorated in Kentucky , Florida , North Carolina , and Tennessee . It

780-531: Was a church leader at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, where his funeral was held. In 2015, the Elodie Todd Dawson sculpture was named one of Alabama's "most photographed cemetery monuments". A structure also called the Spring House for when it was used, sits near the Confederate Soldiers Monument. The unusual name arises from the gables that were designed as bird houses, since closed to preserve

810-581: Was also formerly recognized in Missouri , Louisiana , and Virginia . In Georgia , a state holiday is still observed on the 4th Monday in April however, since 2016, it is referred to simply as a "State Holiday". Several states celebrate the date on or near April 26, when the last major Confederate field army surrendered at Bennett Place , North Carolina in 1865. In the spring of 1866 the Ladies Memorial Association of Columbus, Georgia , passed

840-489: Was he who inspired Logan in 1868. Bellware and Gardiner, however, offer proof that Logan was aware of the Southern tributes long before any of them had a chance to mention it to him. In a speech to veterans in Salem, Illinois , on July 4, 1866, Logan referred to the various dates of observance adopted in the South for the practice saying "…traitors in the South have their gatherings day after day, to strew garlands of flowers upon

870-467: Was named one of Alabama's "most photographed cemetery monuments". A structure also called the Spring House for when it was used, sits near the Confederate Soldiers Monument. The unusual name arises from the gables that were designed as bird houses, since closed to preserve the structure. The building was used for Confederate Memorial Day band concerts and programs each spring. It is now used for storage. Elodie Todd Dawson Old Live Oak Cemetery

900-464: Was the half-sister of Mary Todd Lincoln , wife of President Abraham Lincoln . After the war Nathaniel Dawson was appointed U.S. Commissioner of Education, the first from Alabama. Nathaniel Dawson also served as a member of the Alabama legislature which included serving as Speaker of the House. He was an organizer in the Democratic Party. Dawson was considered a leading citizen of Selma who raised money for Selma's Charity Hospital and Dallas Academy. He

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