Malena Amusa

Juneteenth!

A Juneteenth 2006 celebration re-enactment.

Two years after President Lincoln’s Proclamation that “freed the slaves,” some Black Texans learned for the first time that American slavery had ended. The year was 1865. The Civil War was over. And Blacks began calling that day their Independence. Today, Juneteenth is celebrated all across the country as the Black fourth of July.

So Happy Juneteenth Everyone!

As a gift, here’s one blogger’s re-telling of the profound history of Juneteenth:

Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration of the ending of slavery. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19TH that a band of union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston Island, Texas with the news that the Civil War had ended, and was won by the Union North forces, and that all the slaves in the states in rebellion against the union were henceforth, and forever free from a lifetime of inhumane servitude.

Note that this was two and half years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation—which became official January 1, 1863—went into effect. The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new Executive Order. However, with the surrender of General Robert E. Lee of the Confederate forces in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence the strength behind the Proclamation and overcome resistance from the slave holders.

Finish here.

Posted at 12:14 AM, Jun 19, 2007 in Permalink | View Comments