Juneteenth History

Juneteenth Facts

American History

As more Americans become aware of Juneteenth as a Holiday, it’s important to learn about its history and significance. Juneteenth is not the day that all enslaved people were freed, or the day that slavery ended. Juneteenth commemorates African American Freedom.

On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas. He informed the enslaved African Americans of their freedom and that the Civil War had ended. This momentous occasion has been celebrated as Juneteenth — a combination of June and 19 - for over 150 years.

Even though the Emancipation Proclamation was made effective in 1863, it could not be implemented in places still under Confederate control. As a result, in the westernmost Confederate state of Texas, enslaved people would not be free until much later. Freedom finally came on June 19, 1865, when some 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas. The army announced that the more than 250,000 enslaved Black people in the state, were free by executive decree. This day came to be known as “Juneteenth,” by the newly freed people in Texas.

Juneteenth commemorates African American freedom. It emphasizes education and achievement. It is a day, a week, and in some areas a month marked with celebrations, guest speakers, picnics and family gatherings. It is a time for reflection and rejoicing. It is a time for assessment, self-improvement and for planning the future. Its growing popularity signifies a level of maturity and dignity in America long overdue. In cities across the country, people of all races, nationalities and religions are joining hands to truthfully acknowledge a period in our history that shaped and continues to influence our society today.

During the Civil War Abraham Lincoln issued the preliminary Proclamation Emancipation. It stipulated that if the Southern states did not cease their rebellion by January 1st, 1863, the people they enslaved “shall be then, thenceforward and forever free.” When the Confederacy did not yield, Lincoln, issued the final Emancipation Proclamation on January 1st, 1863. But the Emancipation Proclamation technically did not free any enslaved people. The proclamation would only apply to the confederate States, as an act to seize enemy resources. Lincoln could not free people on land that he did not directly control, and he made no such offer of freedom to the border states.

Up until September 1862, the main focus of the war had been to preserve the Union. With the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation, freedom for the enslaved people now became a legitimate war aim. Most of the Union was against emancipation. President Lincoln justified emancipation as a war measure intended to cripple the Confederacy by emphasizing it would shorten the war by taking Southern resources, hence reducing Confederate strength. It also helped prevent the involvement of foreign nations in the Civil War. Britain and France had considered supporting the Confederacy in order to expand their influence in the Western Hemisphere. However, many Europeans were against slavery and the Union victory at Antietam further disturbed those who didn’t want to intervene on the side of a lost cause.

Even though the Emancipation Proclamation was enacted on January 1st, 1863, it couldn’t be enforced unless Union troops had taken over Confederate land. As a result, enslavers continued to hold enslaved people captive after the announcement, and many did not inform the enslaved people of the proclamation. There is speculation that the news was deliberately withheld by the enslavers to maintain labor force on the plantations and that Union troops waited for the enslavers to maintain labor force on the plantations and that Union troops waited for the enslavers to reap the benefits of one last cotton harvest before they enforced the Emancipation Proclamation in southern states. However, many enslaved people were aware of the proclamation but had no recourse until the Civil War ended.

The Emancipation Proclamation did not apply to those enslave in Union-held territory. They would not be freed until a proclamation several months later, shortly after the Thirteenth Amendment was ratified in December 1865. The Thirteenth December to the United States Constitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. While the 13th amendment offered some protection to Black Americans, it’s allowance for slavery under criminal prosecution directly influenced the birth of Jim Crow Laws. The passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 formally ended Jim Crow but ushered in ‘The War on Drugs’ resulting in current racist policing and lawmaking practices that incarcerate Black People at 5x the rate as white people. As a result, Black Americans continue to be legally enslaved/indentured through mass incarceration.

While many Americans assume that inmates can choose to not work, courts have continually ruled that inmates can be required to work for little to no pay. As of today, some states require inmates to work on plantations with no payment for their labor. Juneteenth is a celebration of African American freedom, but it is also a time for education and learning, This Juneteenth commit to learning about our nation’s history and to supporting the Black community.

“Sensitized to the conditions and experiences of others, only then can we make significant and lasting improvements in our society.” - www.juneteenth.com

SUPPORT

http://www.endslaverynow.org/
https://www.naacp.org
https://www.aclu.org
https://www.zinnedproject.org/donate

Sources
https://nmaahc.si.edu/
https://www.juneteenth.com/
https://www.battlefields.org/
“The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness”
by Michelle Alexander “13th” - documentary by Ava DuVernay