juneteenth 2022 । History of Junteenth
Juneteenth became an official state holiday in Texas in 1980. When Juneteenth was officially named a national federal holiday in June 2021, the city of Galveston dedicated a 5,000 square-foot mural titled “Absolute Equality” near the location where General Granger announced the news of freedom. juneteenth 2022 । History of Junteenth
WHEN IS JUNETEENTH 2022?
Juneteenth which marks the end of slavery in the U.S. and
commemorates African-American freedom, is observed on June 19.
History of Junteenth
According to the official website of the historical event,
Juneteenth is ‘the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of
slavery in the United States.’ Other than marking a pivotal date of
significance in American history, Juneteenth also serves as an opportunity for
African Americans to cherish their culture and heritage.
More than 155 years old, Juneteenth celebrates the
liberation of African Americans from slavery in the U.S. The reason for it
being celebrated on June 19 is because, on this day in 1865, when Major General
Gordon Granger of the Union Army landed in Texas, he brought the news that the
Civil War had ended and all slaves were free.
The proclamation declaring the abolishment of slavery was
issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, in the nation’s third
year of an ongoing civil war. Known as the Emancipation Proclamation, it
declared that ‘all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part
of a State shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.’ Granger’s arrival
at Texas was to enforce this decree, which had originally gone into effect two
years earlier.
The news had come as a shock to more than 250,000 slaves in
Texas who were unaware of it.
On June 19, in the city of Galveston, Granger publicly read
General Order No. 3, which stated: ‘The people of Texas are informed that, in
accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all
slaves are free.
As to why the news of the abolition of slavery reached Texas so late, there are varying accounts. One story states that the messenger bearing the news was assassinated on his journey. Some historians believe that the report on the Emancipation Proclamation was withheld by slave owners in Texas on purpose so that they can go about their business as usual and keep the labor force working. Historians also note that, until 1865, Texas remained a Confederate State, so Lincoln’s proclamation could not have been enforced until Robert E. Lee surrendered to the Union Army and they took over.
