Armistice Day - Veteran's Day

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at the origins and rituals surrounding Armistice Day, or as it came to be known, Veteran's Day. The author explains how Armistice Day began after WWI and how was treated as a holiday and, from the time it was created, the many different rituals carried out as part of the celebration. The paper also describes the changes that have taken place in the way Americans have celebrated Armistice Day since WWI to the present.

From the Paper:

"At 11 a. m. on November 11, 1918, the imperial German army radioed to the world that it had signed the Allied unconditional terms of surrender, and had agreed to the laying down of arms. The guns of the Great War became silent, and were replaced by outbursts of joy across the nation. It was finally over, over there. In 1995, New York City commemorated this event with 500,000 cheering, flag-waving spectators lining the roads. With thundering drums punctuating nostalgic Glenn Miller swing music, tens of thousands of proud American warriors marched out of the past and up Fifth Avenue in New York's largest Veterans Day Parade since the end of World War II. This 1995 parade was a victory of sorts due to the fact that, in recent years, Veterans Day observations have become, as Robert McFadden says, "desultory at best, with spectators often limited to passers-by walking their dogs or heading out for a quart of milk." This parade was evidence of a revival in veteran appreciation, and a renewal of Veterans Day as a much-celebrated American holiday. But while this parade can be used to model a renewal in ceremony and enthusiasm, the true meaning of Veterans Day, or Armistice Day as it was originally called, has been lost through name changes and changes in those it is supposed to honor."

Chosen as a "Paper of the Week":

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