The 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation was celebrated at the beginning of this year, but, as most scholars know, freedom did not come immediately for most African-Americans who were held in slavery. Many were not free until the Civil War ended on May 9, 1865. For some it was some time after that. Juneteenth commemorates the day, June 19, 1865, that Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, arrived in Galveston, Tex., with news of emancipation and the ending of the war, according to Juneteenth.com.
General Granger read to the people of Galveston, General Order Number 3 that began:
“The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and free laborer.”
The jubilation of those who heard these words resulted in much celebration, and black Texans observed it annually well into the 20 century, when the celebrations began to die out, the website says. Resurgence began with the Civil Rights Movement in the late 60s. Today, observances of Juneteenth are “enjoying a phenomenal growth rate within communities and organizations throughout the country,” Juneteenth.com said.
The occasion presents a fitting opportunity to teach the lessons of slavery and of justice and freedom, which came slowly in slavery’s aftermath. DiverseBooks.net offers discount prices on a variety of titles to enhance your knowledge of these topics and to provide resources for course work. Here are some selections from our publishers:
Courtship and Love among the Enslaved in North Carolina, by Rebecca J. Fraser, $45, (List price: $50), University of Mississippi Press, ISBN 9781934110072, pp. 160. January 2011.
