I enjoy imparting a bit of history to my readers…..today is NO different….it will become known as America’s Other Independence Day…..19 June……
Two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation, American slavery came to an end and a celebration of freedom was born
America’s birthday is fast approaching. But let’s not wait for July 4 to light the fireworks. There is another Independence Day on the horizon.For centuries, slavery was the dark stain on America’s soul, the deep contradiction to the nation’s founding ideals of “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” and “All men are created equal.” When Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, he took a huge step toward erasing that stain. But the full force of his proclamation would not be realized until June 19, 1865—Juneteenth, as it was called by slaves in Texas freed that day.
The westernmost of the Confederate states, Texas did not get news of Gen. Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomatox that April until two months after the fact. But they heard once Union Gen. Gordon Granger, a New Yorker and West Point graduate with a distinguished wartime service record, arrived in Galveston Bay with more than 2,000 Union troops. It was on June 19 that he publicly read General Order No. 3, which began: “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.”
Source: Juneteenth: Our Other Independence Day | History | Smithsonian
Always great day when you learn something…..congrats….you learned something today.
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If only they hadn’t had to wait until the 1960s, for some ‘real’ freedoms that arrived 100 years late.
Good call, chuq.
Best wishes, Pete.
Thanx Pete…there is so much history most Americans are unaware of that I feel I need to let them know and appreciate….chuq
Reblogged this on The Militant Negro™.
Thanx my friend and I hope you have a good week…chuq
May we all enjoy a great week ahead and the first day of Summer.
Very few, even African Americans know of Juneteenth.
That is why I am here…trying to help people remember our history…chuq
I have to relate one anecdote about how uninformed African American youth are about their heritage. February teachers have many activities including essay famous black, brief bio, what the person did and why admire. Get several Dr. King, Harriet Tubman and several other people. 160 about that famous African American NELSON MANDELA. Most copied from the same 3 or 4 papers. It is just astonishing. Even more astonishing is getting the outrage from even more ignorant parents over why their kid got an F. Year after year after year. Oh and did you know MLK was the first black president ?
Disgraceful….I think it shows that we need more history taught and more correct history….chuq