#29 - JUNETEENTH—ITS HISTORY AND SIGNIFICANCE!

# 29

JUNETEENTH—ITS HISTORY AND SIGNIFICANCE!

By

Vernon M. Herron, D. Min.

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

The name Juneteeth 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 slaves in the Confederate States were declared legally free.

December 18, 1865:
It was not until December 18, 1865 that the 13th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified which ended slavery 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 with held 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 19TH 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, prayer. It always focuses oneducation and self improvement.