In Praise of Juneteenth
The Many Reasons to Appreciate our Nation's Second Independence Day
I love the idea of Juneteenth. For those who do not know the history of the holiday, it was a day commemorating when General Gordon Granger on June 19, 1865 marched into Galveston, TX and informed the slaves there that they were now freed by Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.1 The Civil War had effectively ended that previous April and the 13th Amendment ensured their freedom2, but communications being what they were back then the word didn’t exactly get out to all corners of the country that quickly; Granger’s declaration represented the last group of former slaves to be told of their freedom. Since then, June 19th— Juneteenth— has been a holiday celebrated largely in African American communities, and now in recent years the country as a whole. It’s fitting for a number of reasons.
We really didn’t have a national holiday celebrating the end of the Civil War and the defeat of slavery. This is a big deal. The Civil War was the bloodiest war ever fought by Americans, and ripped the country in two. Commemorating its completion, honoring the values for which it was fought and the righteous side victorious should be respected in some national way. For some reason, Lee surrending at Appamattox and celebrating that day feels more hollow, bureaucratic, perfunctory.3 The celebration should entail some level of joy. Juneteenth fills that role perfectly.
Every July 4th, we love to celebrate when we declared our country’s independence, when we fought the greatest army on the planet at the time and turned the world upside-down, and won our freedom. Fireworks, parties, tricorner hats, Revolutionary War regalia. It’s a celebration for democracy, for our nation’s birthday (coming up in 250 years in 2026!) and pride and patriotism for all that we love about our home. However, for a large contingent of Americans, they didn’t win their independence in the Revolutionary War. Their freedom wouldn’t come until much later with the end of the Civil War. Celebrating the day that that extreme error and that vile hypocrisy was rectified is a national necessity.
The best holidays have themes. It’s why we look forward to Christmas but care less about Boxing Day or St. Nicholas’s Day. It’s why we celebrate Chinese New Year and Cinco de Mayo even though most of us are not Chinese or Mexican respectively. Juneteenth, being a holiday that for most of it’s history has been celebrated only within the African-American community, and holding up that African American heritage, has inspired the themes that go with it today. Taking a day, and celebrating the contributions and interconnections of the African American community into American life is a fantastic thing to celebrate. The colors, foods, music, pageantry and other attributes taken from the African American perspective is no different than celebrating St. Patrick’s Day for the Irish, or Oktoberfest for the Germans. Its a joyous celebration of one of the greatest threads of our American fabric, one that had been neglected for far too long.
As Americans, we work too much. Half of the world takes practically the entire month of August off. Having a day in the summer, which we can enjoy and appreciate isn’t a bad thing. It used to be the only one from Memorial Day to Labor Day was July 4th, which seemed like an island signifying that summer was half over. Having a day off in June to enjoy is a good thing. Now let’s get another one sometime in August.
Summer barbecues and backyard gatherings with neighbors are always fun. Grab a drink, hang out with a neighbor and just enjoy the day.
Nobody ever cared for Columbus Day. Getting rid of it as a National Holiday/Day off was a good thing.
Reading what people eat on Juneteenth is right up my alley. Barbecue, red soda, red velvet cake, watermelon. I tell you, I could do that every weekend in the summer, put on some Bill Withers and just enjoy life.
So this weekend, as you enjoy your three day weekend, take in some of the Juneteenth Celebrations, reflect on why they are a good thing and enjoy your day.
PurpleAmerica’s Obscure Facts of the Day
Juneteenth, having it’s roots in Texas, for a long time was seen as just a Texas holiday. Following Granger’s declaration, freed slaves began to “scatter” across the country (can’t blame them; would you want to stay in the area where you were enslaved?) While Austin, TX was home to the first Juneteenth celebration, scattering African-Americans took the holiday with them to the other parts of the country (primarily in the South where most remained).
In 1872, former slaves Richard Allen, Elias Dibble, Jack Yates, and Richard Brock bought a 10-acre parcel of land in Houston for only $800. The parcel is now known as the Emancipation Park.
The Juneteenth Celebrations waned in the early 20th century, largely due to Jim Crow laws in the south where it was celebrated, and the Great Depression which caused large migrations of people searching for work. When it was celebrated, they were usually subdued affairs. It wasn’t until the Civil Rights movement began in the early ‘60s that the celebrations came back out in the open again.
PurpleAmerica’s Final Word on the Subject
Like what you are seeing here at PurpleAmerica? Share and Comment. Let your friends and family know! Forward us topics you’d like us to discuss! It’s am open community here.
Footnotes and Fun Stuff
The Emancipation Proclamation was actually signed over 2 years prior. However, Lincoln had no way to enforce it in Confederate States. Following completion of the Civil War, the 13th Amendment outlawing slavery was not yet ratified, though both Houses of Congress had approved the measure. It would not be ratified by 3/4 of the states until December 1865, six months after Granger went into Galveston. So when Granger went into Galveston, the only authority he had to free the slaves was the Proclamation, and the Union Forces that were with him to enforce it.
Again, the 13th Amendment was not yet ratified. However, this brings up an interesting aspect; in order to be admitted back into the Union, it was a precondition on southern states that they would have to approve of the measure. As some northern and western states balked or dragged their feet on ratification, southern states (SC, NC, GA, and GA) coming back into the fold were actually the ones that got it over the 3/4 finish line
Especially since one week after that Lincoln was assassinated. Between the two events Lincoln’s aburpt death seems to get more of the attention, and that is in no way cause for celebrating.