Blog 164: Juneteenth – Its History and Significance

(A reprint of blog 29)

By Vernon M. Herron

What is JUNETEENTH? Is it related to enslavement, The Emancipation Proclamation, Freedom Eve, The Civil War, The Watch Night Service, Independence Day, or Freedom Day? Are the Juneteenth Celebration and June 19^th related? There is a tapestry of truth running through all of the above, producing a historic reality.

The name Juneteenth is as old as the fact of enslavement. It is the oldest known celebration of the ending of the same. It was on 19 June 1865 that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, arrived in Galveston, Texas with the news that the Civil War had ended and that all enslaved were now free.

Noting this time-line, this was two and a half year after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Here are the facts:

September 22, 1862:

                  By Executive Order, President Abraham Lincoln issued an
             Emancipation which declared that on January 1, 1863 all

                 African Americans classified as “slaves” in the Confederacy 
             would be declared legally “freed.”

           

December 31, 1862:

This date was known as “freedom Eve.” On that night,
Blacks came together in churches and private homes all across the nation, anxiously awaiting news that the Emancipation actually had become law.

           

 January 1, 1863: 
          
          President Lincoln issued an Emancipation Proclamation declaring
          that the War between states had ended and that the enslaved were
          now freed. For two and a half years, this information was delayed
          in getting to Texas and when it did, it had little impact due to the 
          minimal number of Union Troops to enforce the new Executive 
          Order. Then, at the stroke of midnight, it was January 1, 1863, 
          and all enslaved in the Confederate States were declared 
          legally free.

December 18, 1865:

           It was not until December 18, 1865 that the 13^th Amendment to the
           Constitution was ratified which ended enslavement in all parts
           of the United States.

The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the small number of Union troops for enforcement. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April 1865 and the arrival of General Granger’s soldiers, his forces were strong enough to defeat all opposition.

The explanation for this two and a half year delay is uncertain but two popular notions exist. (1) The news was deliberately withheld by the enslaved master to maintain the labor force on the plantations. (2) The federal troops actually waited for the enslaved owner to reap the benefits of one last cotton harvest before going to Texas to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation.
  

“One of General Granger’s first order of business was to read to the people of Texas, General Order Number 3 which began most significantly with”:
   

            “The people of Texas are informed that with a Proclamation from

            The Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. 
            This involves an absolute equality of rights of property 
            between former masters and slaves, and the connection
            heretofore existing between them

            becomes that between employer and free laborer”.

Group reaction to this news ranged from a pure “shock” to a full scale jubilation. Memories of that great day in June of 1865 and its festivities will inspire many for years to come. The celebration of June 19^TH was coined  ‘juneteenth” and became a time celebration for descendants of former enslaved, making an annual pilgrimage back to Galveston.

Juneteeenth is a time of remembrance, festivities, food, affirming one another and prayer. It always focuses one’s education and self improvement.