Which organization helped spread the original Decoration Day tradition after the Civil War?

The Grand Army of the Republic helped spread the original Decoration Day tradition after the Civil War.

The Grand Army of the Republic, commonly called the GAR, was a fraternal organization of Union veterans. Founded in 1866, it developed posts across the country and became one of the most influential veterans’ organizations of the nineteenth century.

GAR members supported ceremonies that decorated the graves of Union soldiers with flowers, flags, and other tributes. Its network gave Decoration Day a durable organizational structure, although communities, women’s groups, cemetery associations, and other veterans also played important roles.

The GAR should not be confused with the American Legion or the Veterans of Foreign Wars, both of which were founded later. The American Legion dates from 1919, while the VFW traces its modern organization to 1914. Decoration Day gradually became known as Memorial Day as the commemoration broadened.