The term “Juneteenth” historically refers to the day, June 19, 1865, when Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas and proclaimed that the slaves of Texas were free. The actual Federal proclamation which is known as the “Emancipation Proclamation” was issued by President Lincoln on January 1, 1863 and declared that all the slaves in the United States were free but it took more than two years for the Union Army to actually get the word out to the slaves in Texas. This date has since been celebrated annually in many places throughout the United States to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States.
So if you find a Juneteenth celebration going on near where you live join in!
We can all celebrate the anniversary of the end of slavery in the United States, the past and present contributions African Americans have and are making to American society and the fact that the end of slavery in the US did indeed take us several steps closer to living up the founding ideology of the United States as a country of freedom where everyone is seen as being created and treated equally under the law.*
Here’s a link to a cool Juneteenth website that offers an in-depth history of the celebratory day and links to other resources on the subject:
http://www.juneteenth.com/history.htm
And a link to the National Archives Emancipation Proclamation webpage:
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured_documents/emancipation_proclamation/
Have a great day!
Linda R.
* The line is actual line taken from the US “Declaration of Independence” from 1776 and states “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” I just replaced the “all men” with the more appropriate 21st century term “everyone” to be all inclusive as it should be. Not that I am an idealist or anything!
References
Chase’s Calendar of Events 2013. New York. McGraw-Hill. 2013.
The Declaration of Independence. National Archives. Online. Accessed June 19, 2013. http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html
Featured Documents: The Emancipation Proclamation. National Archives. Online. Accessed June 19, 2013. http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured_documents/emancipation_proclamation/
Juneteenth.com World Wide Celebration! Juneteenth.com. Online. Accessed June 19, 2013. http://www.juneteenth.com/history.htm
The American Dream Starts @ The Southeast Steuben County Library 