Memorial Day is an important day in the United States, observed on the last Monday in May. This federal holiday honors those who have died while serving in the armed forces. The origins of Memorial Day go back to the end of the Civil War period, when in 1865, formerly enslaved people in Charleston, South Carolina paid their respects to fallen Union soldiers who were buried in Confederate prison camps. These soldiers were re-interred as gratitude for helping bring about the end of slavery. On this first Memorial Day, 2,800 African-American children led a parade as 10,000 people celebrated the services rendered by the military.