Celebrating Juneteenth the Day the Last Slaves Were Freed

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Celebrating Juneteenth The Day the Last Slaves Were Freed January 1, 1863 Initially, President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation did not provide freedom for all slaves. The proclamation only applied to those states that had seceded from the Union. January 31, 1865 The 13th Amendment was passed in Congress, officially abolishing slavery in the U.S. June 19, 1865 The national holiday honoring when the last of the enslaved Africans in the United States were freed. General Gordon Granger of the Union Army led thousands of federal troops to Galveston, Texas to announce to the people of Texas that the Civil War had ended and slaves had been freed. Even though President Lincoln freed slaves two and a half years prior, it wasn’t until this day that slavery actually ended across the country. After the June 19 proclamation, it is said that some enslavers intentionally waited until the harvest was over before they announced their slaves were free. September, 1865 Newly freed people didn’t have protection until the creation of the Freedmen’s Bureau. Even after being granted freedom, formally enslaved people faced continued oppression, violence and death. Prior to Juneteenth, July 4th celebrations were being held, celebrating the idea of freedom and liberty for all while oppressing and treating an entire group of people as property. By celebrating Juneteenth, we are celebrating African American freedom and achievement while embracing inclusion and respect for all cultures. On Juneteenth we come together young and old to listen, to learn and to refresh the drive to achieve. “ It is a day where we all take one step closer together ~ to better utilize the energy wasted on racism. Juneteenth is a day that we pray for peace and liberty for all.” (Author unknown) Sources & Further Reading • www.juneteenth.com • www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured-documents/emancipation-proclamation • www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/history/what-is-juneteenth.

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Legislative Resolution 351
LR351 LR351 ONE HUNDRED SECOND LEGISLATURE FIRST SESSION LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION 351 Introduced by Council, 11; Cook, 13. WHEREAS, for more than 130 years, Juneteenth National Freedom Day has been the oldest and only African-American holiday observed in the United States; and WHEREAS, Juneteenth is also known as Emancipation Day, Emancipation Celebration, Freedom Day, and Jun-Jun; and WHEREAS, Juneteenth commemorates the strong survival instinct of African Americans who were first brought to this country stacked in the bottom of slave ships in a month-long journey across the Atlantic Ocean, known as the Middle Passage; and WHEREAS, approximately 11.5 million African Americans survived the voyage to the New World. The number that died is likely greater; and WHEREAS, events in the history of the United States which led to the Civil War centered around sectional differences between the North and the South that were based on the economic and social divergence caused by the existence of slavery; and WHEREAS, President Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated as President of the United States in 1861, and he believed and stated that the paramount objective of the Civil War was to save the Union rather than save or destroy slavery; and -1- LR351 LR351 WHEREAS, President Lincoln also stated his wish was that all men everywhere could be free, thus adding to a growing anticipation by slaves that their ultimate liberty was at hand; and WHEREAS, in 1862, the first clear signs that the end of slavery was imminent came when laws abolishing slavery in the territories
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Juneteenth” Comes Ployer and Free Laborer
J UNETEENTH 92 C ELEBRATIONS UNETEENTH is the oldest celebration in the and the connection h eretofore existing be- nation to commemorate the end of slavery in tween them becomes that between em- J the United States. The word “Juneteenth” comes ployer and free laborer. from a colloquial pronunciation of “June 19th,” which With this announcement the last 250,000 slaves in is the date celebrations commemorate. the United States were effectively freed. Afterward In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln signed the many of the former slaves left Texas. As they moved to Emancipation Proclamation, offi - other states to fi nd family mem- cially freeing slaves. However, bers and start new lives, they car- word of the Proclamation did not ried news of the June 19th event reach many parts of the country with them. In subsequent decades right away, and instead the news former slaves and their descendants spread slowly from state to state. continued to commemorate June The slow spread of this important 19th and many even made pilgrim- news was i n part because the A mer- ages back to Galveston, Texas to ican Civil War had not yet ended. celebrate the event. However, in 1865 the Civil War Most of the celebrations ini- ended and Union Army soldiers tially took place in rural areas and began spreading the news of the included activities such as fi shing, war’s end and Lincoln’s Emanci- barbeques, and family reunions. pation Proclamation. Church grounds were also often On June 19, 1865, Major Gen- the sites for these celebrations. As eral Gordon Granger and U nion more and more African Americans Army soldiers arrived in Galves- improved their economic condi- ton, Texas.
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Juneteenth, the Commemoration of the End of Slavery in the United States, Is Celebrated by Black Americans Every June 19Th
To the LSU SVM Community, We recognize the pain and suffering of many of the black members of our SVM family. We are celebrating Juneteenth, and in light of the recent events, Stephanie Johnson has compiled a list of resources here for those in need (see below for a full list). We see you, we care and we are listening to your needs. Juneteenth, the commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States, is celebrated by Black Americans every June 19th. Read More About Juneteenth Juneteenth, the commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States, will be celebrated by Black Americans on Friday, June 19th amid a national reckoning on race prompted by the police killing of George Floyd and the sweeping demonstrations that followed. Here is information about the holiday, reprinted from the news article "What to know about Juneteenth, the emancipation holiday" by NBC News correspondent Daniella Silva. The article can be read in full here. On June 19, 1865, Gen. Gordon Granger arrived with Union soldiers in Galveston, Texas, and announced to enslaved Africans Americans that the Civil War had ended and they were free — more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. At the time Lincoln issued the proclamation, there were minimal Union troops in Texas to enforce it, according to Juneteenth.com. But with the surrender of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee two months earlier and the arrival of Granger’s troops, the Union forces were now strong enough to enforce the proclamation. The holiday, which gets its name from the combination of June and Nineteenth, is also known as Emancipation Day, Juneteenth Independence Day and Black Independence Day.
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Juneteenth One-Sheeter
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Juneteenth Article—The Emancipation Proclamation
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