Memorial Day is a holiday that honors all of the people that died in wars.
At the end of the civil war, communities set aside a day to mark the end of the war or as a memorial to those who had died. Some of the creating an early memorial day include: Sharpsburg, Maryland, located near Antietam Battlefield; Charleston, South Carolina; Boalsburg, Pennsylvania; Carbondale, Illinois; Columbus, Mississippi; many communities in Vermont; and some two dozen other cities and towns. These observances coalesced around Decoration Day, honoring the confederate memorial Days. According to Professor David blight of the Yale university history department, the first Memorial Day was observed by formerly enslaved black people (this was before Martin Luther King) at the Washington Race Course (today the location of Hampton park) in Charleston, South Carolina. The Memorial Day speech became an occasion for veterans, politicians and ministers to commemorate the war—and at first to rehearse the atrocities of the enemy.
Beginning in 1866 the southern states had their own memorial day, ranging from April 26 to mid June. The birthday of confederate president Jefferson Davis, June 3, became a state holiday in 10 states by 1916. across the south associations were founded after the war between the states to establish and care for permanent cemeteries for confederate soldiers, organize commemorative ceremonies, and sponsor impressive monuments as a permanent way of remembering the confederate tradition. Women provided the leadership in these associations, paving the way to establish themselves as capable of public leadership. The large cities paid less attention; their populations did not muck remember the civil war since they grew primarily from European immigration after 1865. Memorial Day was a observed primarily by the towns and small cities of the north as a sacred day when the war dead are mourned, the spirit of redemptive sacrifice is extolled and pledges to American ideals are renewed.
I think the reason why Memorial Day is so important is because it supports peace and freedom and that one day war will be gone. Forever.
video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afd_sDNYbpY
