Civics trivia
Published 1:30 am Monday, May 25, 2026
Presented by The League of Women Voters.
1. Why are flowers associated with Decoration/Memorial Day?
a) Because of the popularity of Pete Seeger’s song “Where Have All the Flowers Gone.”
b) Because communities in the North and South, Black and white, decorated soldiers’ graves with floral honors after the Civil War.
c) Because Hallmark cards commemorating Memorial Day are filled with flower imagery.
2. When did Congress issue a joint resolution that requested the president to issue “a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to observe each Memorial Day as a day of prayer for permanent peace?”
a) 1945.
b) 1950.
c) 1955.
3. Which veterans’ organization was most influential in establishing Decoration Day?
a) The Grand Army of the Republic.
b) American Legion.
c) Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Last week’s answers:
1. Which statement about Decoration Day (the predecessor to Memorial Day) is not true? Answer: No Confederate soldiers were buried at Arlington National Cemetery on May 30, 1868.
2. Which state officially recognized Decoration Day as a holiday in 1873, becoming the first to do so? Answer: New York.
3. Which 19th-century poet did not write a poem suitable for Decoration Day? Answer: Emily Dickinson.
