Honestly, I didn't know what Juneteenth really was or moreso how it was celebrated until like 5 years ago. Unlike the HIS tory taught in the american education system that Emancipation of Slaves began when Lincoln signed the emancipation proclamation on January 1, 1863 that abolished slavery, however June 19th, 1865, two years after he signed was the actual day slave ancestors were legally free., meaning they were able to leave plantations and were no longer owned. Lots of hidden truths people.
source:Juneteenth.com
Juneteenth
is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of
slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on
June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major
General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news
that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note
that this was two and a half years after President
Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation - which had become official
January 1, 1863. 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 Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General
Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to
influence and overcome the resistance.
Later
attempts to explain this two and a half year delay in the
receipt of this important news have yielded several versions
that have been handed down through the years. Often told is the
story of a messenger who was murdered on his way to Texas with
the news of freedom. Another, is that the news was deliberately
withheld by the enslavers to maintain the labor force on the
plantations. And still another, is that federal troops actually
waited for the slave owners to reap the benefits of one last
cotton harvest before going to Texas to enforce the Emancipation
Proclamation. All of which, or neither of these version could be true.
Certainly, for some, President Lincoln's authority over
the rebellious states was in question For whatever
the reasons, conditions in Texas remained status quo well beyond
what was statutory.
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