Juneteenth: Celebrating Freedom and Reflecting on American History

The celebration of Juneteenth on June 19 isn’t as new of an event as some might think. Let’s take a look at the meaning of this day and why it’s significant.

This date has become the most well-known celebration or the ending of slavery in the United States. For some, this has become a second Independence Day. On this date in 1865, the U.S. Army declared 250,000 slaves in the state of Texas free. This occurred during the final days of the Civil War and Texas was the last bastion of slavery. Once these final slaves were freed, the job of freeing African Americans from slavery was complete in one regard.

This holiday isn’t as straightforward as many others

Unlike celebratory holidays such as Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, the date commemorating the freeing of slaves wasn’t immediately celebrated, recognized, or honored. This emancipation didn’t immediately make the lives of former slaves better; in many cases, it made things worse.

Still, many African Americans began celebrating this date on June 19 the following year. These celebrations continued every year, and this date is now recognized nationally as a holiday and an important date in American history.

The last then became the first

Even though Texas was the last states to free slaves, it was the first state to officially declare Juneteenth a holiday. In 1980, Texas announced this date as a holiday, which then caused other states to do the same thing. Many organizations and businesses around the country host events and educational opportunities regarding the events of this date and the impact slavery had on American history.

Why did it take so long?

The Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863. Why, then, did it take more than two years for slaves in Texas to be freed? To be fair, Texas wasn’t the only holdout state, and this decree caused much of the Civil War because it was only as good as the Union army’s enforcement of it. The Emancipation Proclamation only ended slavery in army-occupied areas, which meant border states and Confederate states had to be forced to abide by the decree.

General Robert E. Lee surrendered to the Union army at Appomattox on April 9, 1865, which was the date that is regarded as the end of the Civil War. Without the instantaneous sharing of information we have now, several battles continued past this date. Some of the most staunch Confederate holdouts moved away from the Union army, which is why the final freeing of slaves took place two months later in Texas.

Things got worse before they got better

Plantation owners weren’t thrilled about the idea of their slaves being free or paying them. Although Juneteenth is a celebration of the final emancipation, the freeing of these slaves didn’t provide them with a way of life after slavery. Some former slaves attempted to work for plantation owners and get paid, but many owners didn’t want to do this.

The Confederate states were basically broke after the war, which meant the states couldn’t step in and pay these former slaves through any programs. This meant former slaves were mostly broke, homeless, and had few places to go for a living, especially in the South.

Sharecropping didn’t help

Farming contracts were eventually created that would allow laborers to share in the profits of a farm. This was called sharecropping, but it created a new set of problems. Instead of sharing in actual profits, many farmers, including former slaves, would amass debt instead of receiving property or profits. This meant these farmers were indebted to the landowners, which was a new struggle for economic independence.

Why is Juneteenth important today?

In addition to finally receiving national recognition, the celebration of Juneteenth is an important date because it creates an important way to have difficult conversations regarding this horrific time in American history.

The move from the Emancipation Proclamation to the freeing of slaves in Texas to modern-day Juneteenth celebrations isn’t a straight line. The Civil Rights movement came nearly 100 years after the Civil War as African Americans continued to fight for equal rights.

Although we are much closer to a more accepting and equal society today than we’ve ever been, there’s still a lot of work to be done. Today, some of the top issues involve racial profiling, economic pushdown, and police brutality. Still, Juneteenth is a celebration of the final freeing of slaves in the South, which started the movement to where we are today.

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