Loyalty day is on the first of May and was set aside for the agreement of loyalty to the United States. It is seen as a recognition of the heritage of American freedom. President Eisenhower was the first to make it an official holiday back in 1959; every president since has made May 1 an official Loyalty Day proclamation.

Nine years before the day was made official, The Veterans of Foreign Wars replaced May Day parades with Loyalty Day parades. In the fifties, May Day parades would involve hundreds of thousands of people from around the communities as they march down streets. The parades now include the required military color guard, marching bands, and vintage cars as well as riders on horses and floats.

When Eisenhower was president, the USA included segregation for blacks and blacklisting for reds. He believed that loyalty and freedoms were threatened by totalitarianism. In 2013, Obama made his proclamation on Loyalty Day and decided we should reaffirm our commitment to “liberty, equality, and justice for all.”

Loyalty is an important thing to have for your country just as it is in a relationship. Although, the recent generations struggle with this. What is the reason? Pop and rap are great examples of how this generation is influenced by music. Over the last few decades music has created a huge impact on the world. If we look back to the fifties, music was extremely different from today. Emily Fountain who is an LNE freshman says, “Music now is more about partying, sex and drugs, and when people listen to the songs, it encourages the behavior.” When people listen. To music, it can impact the way they treat other people, including if they stay loyal to their partner. Loyalty Day was created for the reaffirmation of loyalty to the US, but should also be for the loyalty to others as well as your job.