Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day Everyone!!!

We would like to thank our soldiers, veterans, and all other military officials for fighting.  As a thank you, we are including a free article about the history of Memorial Day and how it is related to US currency.

Why Memorial Day?

Memorial Day began—soon after the American Civil War ended—as Decoration Day.  Decorating with flowers and flags the graves of soldiers who had died in the war was a way for people to say "thank you" for their sacrifice and remember how much our freedom and unity has cost.
So many different towns had set aside a day for people to stop working and visit these graves that it's hard to say exactly which town was the first to do so.  Both northern and southern cities claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day.  But in 1966, President Lyndon Johnson and Congress declared Waterloo, New York, as the place where Memorial Day began one hundred years before.

Waterloo

Major General

John A. Logan

Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Civil War Photographs [reproduction number LC-B8172- 6403]

Waterloo is the town where Major General John A. Logan declared that Decoration Day should be an annual holiday.  General Logan was the leader of a group of Union veterans.  He set the date as May 30 in this declaration issued on May 5, 1866, soon after the Civil War ended.
To honor local veterans of this war, businesses closed and people flew flags at half mast.  Ceremonies were held and soldiers' graves, of course, were decorated.
So Memorial Day is not a holiday that began with an act of Congress.  It began with people all over the nation paying their respects to those who had given up their lives fighting for what they and their loved ones believed in.
By the end of the 1800s, many states held Memorial Day ceremonies on May 30 every year.  The Army and Navy took part as well.  After World War I, people began to honor those who fell not only in the Civil War, but in all American wars.
In 1971, Congress declared Memorial Day—still also known as Decoration Day—to be an official national holiday, and moved it from May 30 to the last Monday in May.

Heroes and Coins

One way we Americans honor our military people who have died serving our country is through coins.  We make everyday coins, special coins, and medals to help us remember these heroes.  Let's look at some!
Teachers, click the blackboard for some activity ideas for honoring American veterans in your classroom.

Circulating Coins

Circulating coins are the coins we use every day.  They are made especially to be used when people buy and sell goods and services.  Our circulating coins show pictures of past presidents of the United States, and some of them, like George Washington, were war heroes.
Here are some circulating coins that relate directly to military people (you can see the other side of most coins by mousing over them):

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  1975 to 1976 Bicentennial Quarter—Not only does George Washington's likeness show on the front, but a Revolutionary War soldier plays a drum on the back.
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  New Jersey Quarter—New Jersey's design is based on a famous painting of General George Washington crossing the Delaware into New Jersey to launch a surprise attack during the Revolutionary War.
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  Massachusetts Quarter—One of the major elements in this design is the figure of a Minuteman.  Minutemen were colonists who pledged to be ready on a minute's notice in case the British attacked.

 The designs on other quarters also relate to the Revolution, though you might not be able to tell just by looking at them.  If you don't know the answers to the questions below, follow the links to their pages in "The Coins Are Coming":

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  Delaware—Where was Caesar Rodney going so fast?
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  Connecticut—What part did the Charter Oak play in Connecticut's independence?
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  South Carolina—Why is South Carolina called the Palmetto State?

Commemorative Coins

Commemorative coins are special coins.  They are marked with values like ordinary coins, but their owners don't usually spend them.  One reason is that they cost more than their "face" (marked) value.  They are made to help people remember a special person, place, or event.
Here are some commemorative coins that honor veterans:

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  1993 World War II clad half dollar, silver dollar, and gold five-dollar coin—This coin was issued on the 50th anniversary of the United States joining the effort in World War II.  The front of this dollar shows an American soldier landing on the beach at Normandy, France, on D-Day.  The back shows a military insignia and words from General Dwight D. Eisenhower, who later became president.  This coin was the June 2000 Coin of the Month.
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  1994 US Prisoners of War silver dollar—To honor American prisoners of war, the front shows a flying eagle surrounded by barbed wire and the words "Liberty," "Freedom," and "In God We Trust."  A broken chain hangs from the eagle's leg.  The back shows the National Prisoner of War Museum in Georgia.  This coin was the Coin of the Month for November 2000.
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  1994 Vietnam War Veterans Memorial silver dollar—The front shows military decorations that were awarded to soldiers for great bravery.  The back shows a hand touching the Vietnam Memorial, which has the names of thousands of soldiers inscribed on it.
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  1994 Women Veterans silver dollar—The front shows five women in uniform and the names of the services they stand for: Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard.  The back shows the Women in Military Service Memorial.
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  1998 Black Revolutionary War Patriots silver dollar—This coin was created to honor the African-American soldiers who fought for our freedom in the Revolutionary War.
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  2002 US Military Academy bicentennial dollar—This coin celebrates the founding in 1802 of the military academy at West Point, New York.  It was featured on the 2002 Commemorative Coins page.
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  2005 United States Marine Corps 230th Anniversary silver dollar—Issued in 2005, this coin commemorates the 230th anniversary of the Corps.  The front shows the Marine Corps War Memorial and the back shows the Marine Corps emblem above its motto, "semper fidelis."  This coin was the Coin of the Month for July 2005.  Of course, this coin is also covered on the 2005 Commemorative Coins page.By the way...how is your Marine Corps IQ?  Find out with this fun quiz on the information from the commemorative coins page and the July 2005 Coin of the Month!  Take the Marine Corps Quiz!
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  2010 American Veterans Disabled for Life silver dollar—This coin is one way of remembering and thanking those whose bodies remind them daily of the price of their heroic service.  Read about it on the2010 Commemorative Coins page and as the April 2010 Coin of the Month.

Find out more about commemoratives on the Commemorative Coins page.

Veterans and Medals

Medals are like coins, but they are not money.  They are meant to be used as awards to people or groups of people who have done great things.
Check out pictures of recent veterans' medals in the Veterans Medals pages of Inspector Collector'sMedal Mania Workshop.
And have you seen the Veterans History Project on the Library of Congress site?  Don't miss it!

Credits: https://www.usmint.gov/kids/coinNews/Memorialday.cfm