I don’t want to be “that guy;” but I wish CNN, NPR, and others, would stop staying that “slavery ended on June 19th, 1865.” Yes, June 19th is when the Union army showed up in Galveston, Texas.
Keep in mind that the Emancipation Proclamation did not end slavery in the United States. The Proclamation applied only to “any State or designated part of a State… in rebellion against the United States.” It specifically excluded Memphis, New Orleans, and Norfolk and similarly did not apply to the border slave states of Kentucky, Missouri, Maryland, and Delaware—slaveholding states that sided with the Union. Therefore, the Proclamation only declared those enslaved to be free where people were in rebellion—and over one million African-Americans outside those areas remained enslaved. In other words, if you sided with the Union [and Lincoln] you could keep your enslaved humans. Texas was in the Confederacy. On June 19, 1865, Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger, with a force of Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, delivered General Order Number 3, that the war was over and the enslaved Blacks in Texas were “free.”
My point is that AFTER Juneteenth, slavery was not only practiced but was LEGAL in border states until December 6, 1865, when the Thirteenth Amendment was ratified and abolished non-penal slavery nationwide.
Yes, we should ALL celebrate Juneteenth. I am not throwing shade on Juneteenth. Just remember that over one million Blacks remained legally enslaved after June 19th. And, that the promise of General Order Number 3, “an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves” quickly devolved into the next 100+ years of legalized, constitutional, and judicially sanctioned, Jim Crow racial segregation and discrimination.
And of course, when these legal “institutionalized” forms of racist discrimination did not stop Black progress and political activity, violence and cruelty were employed. Beatings, lynching, and other forms of murder were not only sanctioned but were promoted by many white political leaders and citizens’ terrorists’ groups like the Ku Klux Klan. Historian John Hope Franklin has called this period [after Juneteenth] the “darkest and bloodiest hour for African-Americans…the cruelty was worse than slavery…at least a slave was valuable if obedient.” In 2015, the Equal Justice Initiative reported that “[F]rom the Civil War until World War II, millions of African Americans were terrorized and traumatized by the lynching of thousands of black men, women and children.”[1]
[1]See Executive summary: http://www.eji.org/files/EJI%20Lynching%20in%20America%20SUMMARY.pdf and Equal Justice Initiative Website: http://www.eji.org/node/1037
Juneteenth and the 13th Amendment were steps to freedom but they did not guarantee equal rights for black Americans and after Juneteenth legal slavery was allowed.
To put it simply, Juneteenth or June 19th 1865 is more symbolic than anything. It was a day in which a Union General declared slaves free in Galveston, Texas. Although, slavery continued until after that date.
On Juneteenth, Major General Gordon Granger went to Galveston, Texas, and, with the force of Union soldiers, freed enslaved Blacks in Texas. Although some slaves were free, Juneteenth did not mark the end of slavery. Slavery continued after Juneteenth.
The delay in enforcement was due to the lack of Union presence in the region. Juneteenth symbolizes freedom, resilience, and the ongoing struggle for equality, and has become an important day of reflection, celebration, and advocacy for social justice and civil rights.
Juneteenth is the day in 1865 when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced the emancipation of enslaved people in the state, two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation had been issued.
While Juneteenth is an important milestone in history, it’s crucial to accurately recognize the timeline of slavery’s abolition and the systemic oppression that followed.
I did not know about the continuation of slavery for another six months of the brutality that followed June 19th. I think that history is often taught in a very Manichean way, as good vs evil, with no grey areas. I think the erasure of the six months following June 19th is emblematic of this way of teaching and creates this idea that the fight is over, when in reality there is always more work to do.
“I will never say that progress is being made; if you stick a knife in my back 9 inches and pull it out 6 inches, there’s no progress. You pull it all the way out, that’s not progress. The progress is healing the wound that’s a blow made, and they haven’t even begun to pull the knife out, much less try and heal the wound. They won’t even admit the knife is there.”
–Malcolm X
Deep.
This day symbolizes the triumph of freedom and the enduring struggle for equality and justice.
Yes, June 19 marks the day upon which three million enslaved persons were effectively given their freedom via military order, but we must not forget that on June 20, hundreds of thousands more were still enchained, and would be for six more months after that.
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Juneteenth should have always been a federal holiday, but it’s good it is finally getting the recognition it deserves.
Like much of what we are taught regarding the end of slavery, Juneteenth is no exception to the misconceptions associated. The first thing that pops up when searching Juneteenth is the “end of slavery” so it is no surprise why many people are uneducated surrounding the holiday, even if they try and do their “due diligence” people are provided with inaccurate information.
I think it’s good that Juneteenth has become a federal holiday because it gives more awareness towards the emancipation of slaves, but the history behind it should be emphasized more and I think a different date may be more effective, like when the 13th amendment was ratified. Even though Juneteenth was not total emancipation for the slaves, it was an important step that should be celebrated and remembered.
Juneteenth does not accurately represent the freedom of all Black enslaved individuals in the United States, and instead recognizes when the Union army arrived in Texas. Despite this being an important date to recognize, Black individuals were still (legally) enduring slavery in border states. However, the Thirteenth Amendment legally recognized the illegality of non-penal slavery.
If no one is ‘that guy’ would we ever truly understand the extreme lack of truth in white american history story telling, with respect to the truth about violence and equality for minority groups.
The holiday for black liberation in the United States should be the date of the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The Emancipation Proclamation did not end slavery rather it weakened the South by taking away their slaves. Slaves were freed after the Thirteenth Amendment was ratified.
Juneteenth is now a federal holiday, the first one since MLK day.
I think it’s essential for people to learn that the Emancipation Proclamation did not end slavery. I mean, in middle school, I was taught that it was the end of slavery, and honestly, it wasn’t until I started taking AP classes that I found it was quite the opposite.
I think it would be better to celebrate Black Independence Day on the day the 13th Amendment was ratified rather than on June 19th. I feel like no one talks about how over a million Blacks were excluded from the Emancipation Proclamation and how it didn’t apply to 4 states and 3 big cities.
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I don’t think awareness is ever a bad thing, necessarily. I will say now that this has gone more mainstream and become a federal holiday, it’s too… celebrated? Not necessarily a bad thing, it just feels kinda awkward to have sales and some kind of inevitably stereotyped event from it (like the watermelon and fried chicken on a menu special).
Juneteenth, also known as Juneteenth Independence Day or Freedom Day, is an annual holiday celebrated on June 19th in the United States to commemorate the end of slavery. The holiday originated in Texas, where it is an official state holiday, but it is now celebrated in many other states and cities across the country.
Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced that the Civil War had ended and that all enslaved people in the state were free. This announcement came two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which had declared that all enslaved people in the Confederate states “shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.”
The delayed announcement of freedom in Texas and other parts of the Confederacy was due to a lack of enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation and resistance from slave owners. Juneteenth became an important day of celebration and remembrance for African Americans, and over time it has come to be recognized as an important part of American history and culture.
Today, Juneteenth is celebrated with parades, cookouts, music, and other cultural events. It is also a time for reflection and education, as people learn about the history of slavery and the ongoing struggle for racial justice and equality in the United States. In 2021, Juneteenth was recognized as a federal holiday, making it the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was established in 1983.
I think it’s worth mentioning that when I first learned about Juneteenth, I was under the impression that the Galveston plantation was liberated much later after the surrender of the Confederacy-by years, not months. I was also under the impression that this was (one of) the last stronghold(s) of slavery. I think these details gave the holiday a lot more historical meaning to me, despite the continued realities of black codes, racial terror, sharecropping, and criminal servitude which arguably constitute slavery still. While the foundation of the holiday seems less stable to me, considering these continued realities I just mentioned, I recognize what the holiday is supposed to represent more than what may have technically been the case and I can still support the marker it purportedly portrays.
Separately, as I’m typing this comment, I can see the first comment on this thread from 2021 and I would adamantly disagree with the idea that “Black Independence Day” should instead be held on the day the 13th Amendment was ratified. I wonder if the millions of imprisoned black Americans would agree with that idea.
“Juneteenth marks our country’s second independence day. Although it has long been celebrated in the African American community, this monumental event remains unknown to most Americans. The historical legacy of Juneteenth shows the value of never giving up hope in uncertain times. The National Museum of African American History and Culture is a community space where this spirit of hope lives on. A place where historical events like Juneteenth are shared and new stories with equal urgency are told.”
https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/historical-legacy-juneteenth#:~:text=Freedom%20finally%20came%20on%20June,newly%20freed%20people%20in%20Texas.
Local news, after featuring some Juneteenth festivals around Chicago: “If you don’t know the history of Juneteenth, please educate yourself by visiting our website!” *Web address appears on screen*.
I don’t know if WGN morning news would link to this, it doesn’t really seem to fit their vibe… but thank you for your knowledge and perspective!
Never knew Juneteenth didn’t end slavery which many are not aware of and should be taught the significance behind it. As well, what black history month really is about to recognize the African American who changed history towards providing communities that the government didn’t want to associate with in helping. Instead of being constantly reminded about slavery, Jim Crow laws, and police brutality to make it seem a form of guilt but to be a month to educate how those laws interfered the lives of many minorities.
As someone who has been taught their entire life that the Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves, Juneteenth when I heard about it in 2019 or 2020 was a completely new concept to me. My question is, why do we celebrate Juneteenth and not December 6? It seems a larger celebration of the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment which freed slaves rather than General Order Number 3 being read in Texas and “freeing” the slaves. Someone with more knowledge, please explain to me like I am five.
I think it’s important to teach about the Emanci. Proc. and to learn the real motives behind it. I think it’s far more interesting that just claiming it “freed the slaves”. I always knew slaves were free well after the emanci. proc., but I found out about Juneteenth a few years ago. It’s important to recognize Juneteenth as much as the emanci. proc., but I feel like it’s come to the point where big businesses just capitalize off of it each year.
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I am very surprised to learn about all this. Our education system really failed us, but I grew up in California. Anyway, I was always under the impression that Lincoln freed the slaves with the Emancipation Proclamation and that Juneteenth is when the last of the enslaved received notice that they were free. This is obviously not the case and I am appalled that we don’t know better because this country has a terrible education system.
just curious, why does California make a difference? I also lived in CA for a while, and one of my daughters and her family live there now? Just curious?
I was unaware that Juneteenth didn’t actually mark the end of slavery. I agree with the sentiment that Juneteenth is important and should be acknowledged but but like you’ve written, we also need to remember those who remained enslaved. I don’t understand why history would even be taught if it waters down the facts so much that it paints an entirely different story of what happened. I wonder if the 13th Amendment would be a better date to celebrate, although its stipulation “except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted” deserves just as much criticism.
June 19th is wildly misunderstood as the day the last enslaved people were freed, myself included until now. The historical exclusion of union loyal states being allowed to continue slavery until the ratification of the 13th amendment feels like an intentional omission of truth to support and sustain the narrative that Abe Lincoln and the Emancipation proclamation freed slaves. Alerting those in Galveston, TX that enslaved people were now freed did not do much to help the newly free people with not federal or local enforcement of the emancipation, and many people- especially those in non-free border states- remained enslaved well into the 1860s.
Junteenth is absolutely important, but I think the point you’re trying to make is that it did not free the million of those that were still enslaved after Juneteenth and we have to acknowledge that. The emancipation proclamation did not stop the end of slavery, it was to stop the rebellion states because we see that those states with slavery that joined the union were still allowed to legally practice slavery.
While I can understand how some individuals took this very very small step as a big step and want to commemorate and celebrate such a day, it is greatly mis taught and so many crucial events and pieces of information are left out when teaching about the Emancipation. The cruel and heinous treatment continued, while some states were “free” of it, many large cities still owned slaves and the cycle still continued. The government did not care for the enslaved to “free” them for the sake of humanity, it was there own personal agenda, they wanted to preserve the Union. And they got exactly that, by “emancipating” some states, but allowing slave owners to keep their slaves in certain(important) states as long as they sided with the union. Again, I understand why it is celebrated, it educated others on the history of slavery but it also leaves out very important points.
I think Juneteenth also fails to recognize all the abuses after federal support fled the South in Reconstruction. The application of the civil war amendments were particularly wack. For instance, the court made a distinction between state and united states citizenship and so much of the “protecting” was left up to the states to decide and enforce. Of course, in the South, this meant the equal protection under the law was subject to a lot of white supremacist interpretation. As for the actual abolishment of slavery, it still allowed forced labor for punishment so who is to say, in a state where an innocent black person is convicted for raping a white women, is given a white jury and a foul judge, that they would be given a heavy sentence and worked for the rest of their life. This is assuming that corrupt deputies won’t let a white terrorist group snatch the person awaiting trial to hang in public.
I understand that want of not wanting to appear as if you’re undermining an important event, but I think it’s still really dire to bring these kinds of things up. That for something so important as freeing the enslaved, they couldn’t even get it right to ensure that the information was notified to them, and that they actually became freed. It took until the rest of that year for them to be considered legally free.
I have to echo the sentiments of my classmates in that emancipation and the actions of june 19th were important but not what the community needed. During this struggle enslaved and people of color were pawns used by either side. Neither side had the best interest of those who were being wronged. Emancipation and the lack of restorative justice demonstrates this.
I understand the importance of Juneteenth for some people- why it gives them hope and helps them feel liberated, why it helps bring attention to the horrors of this nation’s history. However, it has perpetuated a false narrative, and misrepresenting history is something we should also be battling. World history is often taught Eurocentrically, and for a long time we’ve had a washed sense of black history. Juneteenth was the end of some enslavement, and the start of some of the most unfathomable treatments of people to be accounted for. The era of segregation was the willful mistreatment of black people in America. It was not umbrellaed under the law of slavery, it was simple colorism, racism, white-supremacy, ignorance, inhumanity all after the legal rejection of human enslavement. Now that it has caught on and become a sort of “brand” I don’t think we should go about changing it. However, we should use it as an opportunity to teach that this was not the end of slavery, but the start of an unsupervised deep-rooted racism that has yet to escape this country.
There is certainly an importance behind June 19th as it was a big step toward eradicating slavery, but these big steps don’t culminate in freedom until years later. It’s important to recognize that there was still a constitutionally legal way to practice slavery in the states that was outlined in a document called the “Emancipation Proclamation” which clearly goes to show how true to their word these proclamations were. Further, this event largely gets overlooked in the grand scheme of the history of the U.S., but it’s an important one that acknowledges the strides that would be slowly, but surely, taken to eradicating the institution of slavery. It wasn’t everything, but it wasn’t nothing and that seems to be the name of the game for abolition.
” It wasn’t everything, but it wasn’t nothing.” Could we apply that assessment/characterization to the D.C. Emancipation Act?
I think it would be better to celebrate Black Independence Day on the day the 13th Amendment was ratified rather than on June 19th. I feel like no one talks about how over a million Blacks were excluded from the Emancipation Proclamation and how it didn’t apply to 4 states and 3 big cities. Lincoln understood that “freeing the slaves” was crucial to saving the Union, he did not care about the racial injustices in the nation or the systematic oppression and inhumane treatment of Blacks, free or not.