Copyright © Françoise Herrmann
Juneteenth, a portmanteau term for “June Nineteenth”, celebrates Black emancipation from slavery. Specifically, Juneteenth celebrates June 19th, 1865, when military General Orders #3 were given by Major-General Granger to proclaim the emancipation of slaves in Galveston, Texas, one of the last outposts of slavery. Orders given to implement Abraham Lincoln’s Proclamation of Emancipation, dated January 1st, 1863. Orders, in fact given just a few months prior to ratification of the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution, on December 6th, 1865, formally abolishing slavery across the US.
However, the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act was only signed into law on June 17th, 2021, by then-President Joe Biden. At the end of the day, recognition of Juneteenth as a National federal holiday, marking Black Independence Day, rights a wrong. A wrong, because on Independence Day, July 4th, 1776, the United States declared independence from Great Britain, while Black Americans remained in bondage.
Lincoln, A. (Jan. 1, 1863). Proclamation of Emancipation. Transcript in PDF format. Library of Congress.
https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/mss/mal/172/1723200/1723200.pdf
https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/mss/mal/172/1723200/1723200.pdf
Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution - Abolition of Slavery [Transcript] https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-xiii
US Congress - Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, S. 475
https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/475
https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/475
Galveston History Staff (June 15, 2024). Juneteenth and General Orders #3.
https://tinyurl.com/yvp8xbvw
https://tinyurl.com/yvp8xbvw
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