Juneteenth Becoming a Holiday
Juneteenth is a holiday that recognizes the emancipation of enslaved people in the U.S. after the civil war. It has been celebrated by African Americans since the late 1800s.
President Joe Biden made Juneteenth a nationally recognized holiday on June 19, 2021, after much interest in the background of the holiday. While it had been celebrated for many years, it became a federal holiday in the summer of 2021. Many rejoiced when Juneteenth became a legitimate holiday, finally.
Juneteenth celebrations have increased rapidly across the United States of America over the last few years. This holiday followed the many deaths of African Americans during slavery and in the decades since. In recent years, people protested the multiple police violence cases towards African Americans. Moreover, following the death of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Manuel Ellis, people rose up against police-involved murders. Especially when these deaths were unprovoked and unnecessary.
One of the most recent racist massacres in history was when a white gunman killed 10 African Americans inside a supermarket. That incident is just one of the many that have resonated in so many ways with Americans. Now, people are finding new ways to get involved in spreading awareness and celebrating Juneteenth.
When did Juneteenth begin?
On June 19, 1865, enslaved African Americans in Texas were told they were free. Juneteenth marks the day when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people were freed. The Emancipation Proclamation had been signed a whole two and a half years earlier.
It was a time of great rejoicing and celebrations. Many feel that it marked the time when African Americans were truly independent. Thus making Juneteenth an Independence Day for those who were enslaved.
The day was first recognized as a federal holiday in 2021 when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law. The efforts of Lula Briggs Galloway, Opal Lee, and several others had been recognized.
The Legacy of Juneteenth
Freedoms Eve, Jan. 1, 1863, was when the first watch night service took place. That night, free African Americans congregated inside churches or private homes across the country. They were all waiting for the Emancipation Proclamation to take effect.
Many Black soldiers marched plantations across different areas of the country. There were small copies of the Emancipation Proclamation going across the news of freedom in the Confederate States.
The Emancipation Proclamation went into effect in 1863, but it was not allowed in some places under Confederate control. It wasn’t true that everyone would have been freed. In Texas, enslaved people wouldn’t get the privilege to be free until later on.
Freedom officially came on June 19, 1865, with 2,000 Union troops arriving in Galveston Bay. That day the army announced that more than 250,000 enslaved people, inside the state, were free by the decree. Afterward, the day was officially announced to be known as Juneteenth, the day African Americans were freed from Texas slave holders.
Juneteenth Over the Years
People have celebrated Juneteenth for over 150 years, and every year it has changed. It was big when Americans remembered how slavery and civil war has shaped Juneteenth.
Many slave families made sure to work hard through their struggles to achieve freedom and to be remembered. It gave future generations a great chance to celebrate where they came from. Additionally, it reminds them how the past is involved in the present, bringing everyone together.
In 1930, war threatened Juneteenth celebrations. Thirteen years later, the Richmond Times Dispatch in Virginia said that African Americans were asked by officials to suspend Juneteenth Celebration activities because of riots in Texas.
Despite the danger, the celebrations declined to disappear. Some African Americans left the state and brought the traditions along with them. Those who had been enslaved wanted to bring families together to build better schools, and for members to run for office.
A century and a half later, people across the U.S. continue to celebrate the day, which is now a federal holiday. For many Black individuals, Juneteenth is known as the true Independence Day.
By Isaiah Grissett
Sources:
The New York Times: Juneteenth: The History of a Holiday
Smithsonian Institution: The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth
US History Scene: Juneteenth
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