#74 What is Juneteenth?

Thanks for reading the Daily Concept. If you enjoyed this newsletter, forward it to a friend. If someone forwarded you this email, click here to subscribe.

Your faithful writer,
Dr. Daniel Smith

Happy Juneteenth!

If you’re off work today, it’s because Juneteenth (June 19) was made a federal holiday in 2021.

People have been celebrating Juneteenth, which marks the end of slavery in the U.S. after the Civil War, for over 150 years.

It’s been called “America’s second independence day” and is the longest-celebrated African-American holiday in U.S. history.

Let’s learn a bit about the history of Juneteenth and its place in American history.

What is Juneteenth?

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day, and Emancipation Day, is a federal holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans.

The history: on June 19, 1865, near the end of the Civil War, a Union general arrived in Galveston, TX with his troops.

He told the city's enslaved African-American residents that they were now free from slavery.

More than two years before, President Abraham Lincoln delivered his Emancipation Proclamation speech freeing the slaves in Union-controlled territory.

But the war dragged on, and it was only in 1865 that the process of actually ending slavery in former Confederate territories began. (Check out the map below to see a timeline of slavery’s spread across the U.S. between 1789-1861)

On June 19, 1866, a year later, freedmen in Texas held the first “Jubilee Day” celebration marking the end of slavery.

Early Jubilee Day celebrations were used as an opportunity to educate newly freed African-Americans about their voting rights.

In addition to educational activities and civic events like parades, people also used Jubilee Day celebrations as a chance to get together and have a fun time with their communities.

Live music, great barbecue, and historical reenactments were all part of the party.

The decline and resurgence of Juneteenth in the 20th century

By the 1900s, Jubilee Day celebrations were less common than in the decades following the Civil War.

Anti-black legislation passed by segregationist Southern states made it more difficult for blacks to organize politically, and the migration of African Americans from the South to other regions of the U.S. during the 1900s (also known as the Great Migration) dispersed the communities that initially celebrated Juneteenth in the post-Civil War years.

Things began to look up in the late 1930s, however, when Texas Governor James Allred announced that June 19 would become an official holiday: Emancipation Day.

Juneteenth celebrations began to take place again in the 1970s and 1980s. Black communities across Texas led the way by hosting celebrations that attracted tens of thousands of people.

Other states made Juneteenth an official state holiday in the decades that followed. And in 2021, Juneteenth became the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1981.

Enjoy the holiday and take some time to reflect on Juneteenth’s place in American history!

ART OF THE DAY

Thank you for reading. Please reply to this email if you have any thoughts or feedback.

Yours,
Dan