At 11:00 A.M. on November 11, 1918, World War I, known as the "War to End all Wars," came to an end with the signing of the cease-fire agreement at Rethondes, France. One year later, November 11 was set aside as Armistice Day in the United States to remember the sacrifices made by men and women during that war. Veterans' parades and political speeches throughout the country emphasized the peaceful nature of the day, echoing the theme of national unity and the victory of democracy over tyranny.

Memorial Day, originally established after the Civil War to honor the war dead and to heal the sectional divisions remaining from that conflict, was, and remained, the traditional day on which the dead of all conflicts were honored through reverent ceremonies and the decoration of their graves with flags and flowers. Armistice Day, on the other hand, was designated as a national...