Juneteenth

[Draggingtree]

Juneteenth

June 19, 1865

On June 19 ("Juneteenth"), 1865, Union general Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston and issued General Order Number 3, which read in part, "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 personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor." The tidings of freedom reached the approximately 250,000 slaves in Texas gradually as individual plantation owners informed their bondsmen over the months following the end of the war. The news elicited an array of personal celebrations, some of which have been described in The Slave Narratives of Texas (1974). The first broader celebrations of Juneteenth were used as political rallies and to teach freed African American about their voting rights. Within a short time, however, Juneteenth was marked by festivities throughout the state, some of which were organized by official Juneteenth committees.
The day has been celebrated through formal thanksgiving ceremonies at which the hymn "Lift Every Voice" furnished the opening http://www.tshaonline.org/day-by-day/June/19

[righteousmomma]

As native and naturalized Texans we celebrated today. NCT smoked the best brisket EVER!

[Draggingtree]

Juneteenth: Our Other Independence Day

 

Two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation, American slavery came to an end and a celebration of freedom was born

 

 By Kenneth C. Davis Smithsonian.com, June 16, 2011

 

America’s birthday is fast approaching. But let’s not wait for July 4th to light the fireworks. There is another Independence Day on the horizon.

 

Juneteenth falls on June 19 each year. It is a holiday whose history was hidden for much of the last century. But as the nation now observes the 150th anniversary of the Civil War’s onset, it is a holiday worth recognizing. In essence, Juneteenth marks what is arguably the most significant event in American history after independence itself—the eradication of American slavery.

 

In amazement and disbelief, the 250,000 former slaves in Texas learned that they had been freed

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/Juneteenth-Our-Other-Independence-Day.html

[NCTexan]

Thanks for the reminder!

 

Used to be a bigger day in Texas than elsewhere. Now it has spread.

[Draggingtree]

Thanks for the reminder!

 

Used to be a bigger day in Texas than elsewhere. Now it has spread.

all ready (party) start few houses down