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In this article, Sir Phoenix discusses the origins of Juneteenth and some of the controversies surrounding it.
Juneteenth: Its history and significance
Juneteenth: Its history and significance
By: Sir Phoenix C. Robinson
By: Sir Phoenix C. Robinson
Juneteenth is a federally recognized holiday that comes up in conversation, causing controversy from time to time. Like most holidays, public knowledge of its historical roots is limited. However, to be able to appreciate and celebrate the holiday, an understanding of its history is an absolute necessity.
In the mid-1800s, the United States was split by the growing abolition movement. This tension resulted in the United States Civil War. In 1863, wielding the momentum of the abolition movement as both a political and tactical maneuver, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. The Emancipation Proclamation declared that all enslaved people encountered by Union forces were to be freed.
The Emancipation Proclamation shook the nation. However, its sweeping changes were not immediate. The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture recognizes that it took the Emancipation Proclamation, the end of the Civil War, and three new amendments to the Constitution before slavery came to an end in America. Despite this, June 19, 1865 remains the day memorialized by America as the formal destruction of slavery.
According to both the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture and NPR, Acting Major General Gordon Granger led a force of 2,000 Union soldiers into Galveston Bay, Texas. He had been placed in charge of the District of Texas for the time being. In accordance with the President’s orders from two years prior, he and his aide (Major Frederick Emery) wrote General Order No. 3. This paper was plastered throughout the area. In this paper, the Major General declared that all slaves were to be freed and treated with equality, as citizens of the United States.
In an article published by NPR, common myths surrounding the holiday were disproven. One such myth is that it had taken nearly three years for slaves to be freed because news had not reached places like Texas. In reality, much, if not all, of the South had been made aware of the Emancipation Proclamation by newspapers or telegrams, including Texas. The reason why it took so long is that there was nobody in the South to enforce this decree.
Another important myth to point out is the false belief that General Order No. 3 served as the Texan Emancipation Proclamation. While the order did clarify that slaves were free, the National Archives show that the rest of the document reads, “The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.”
Essentially, the Union was asking newly freed slaves to remain at the plantations from which they had just been freed. If they did not, then they were not to expect that the government would help them out. Despite the federal government showing little interest in facilitating the reintegration of enslaved people into the general population, the victory of the Union, alongside the news of abolition, inspired African Americans to get out of plantations and celebrate their newfound freedom.
That fateful June 19th is the basis for Juneteenth. The road to its recognition as a federal holiday came much later. The United States Government Publishing Office states that it was not until 2021, under the Biden Administration, that Juneteenth was declared a federal holiday.
The day is about the freeing of slaves in Texas. However, some organizations have found controversy in it. A writer on behalf of The Heritage Foundation published an article claiming that “The left has worked hard to co-opt the holiday and use it as a tool to divide their countrymen and to replace the real Independence Day.” Its singular piece of evidence was an opinion article published by The Guardian, calling Juneteenth “the real Independence Day” compared to the 4th of July. The writer also claims that “Most Americans are excluded from the celebration, [especially] anyone who believes in America’s founding or doesn’t buy the narrative that America is ‘systemically racist’ today.”
Another source of controversy regarding Juneteenth is due to the number of non-working federal holidays. This is exemplified by the Truth Social post Donald Trump made last year, in which he posted, “Too many non-working holidays in America. It is costing our Country $BILLIONS OF DOLLARS to keep all of these businesses closed. The workers don’t want it either! Soon we’ll end up having a holiday for every once working day of the year. It must change if we are going to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
Juneteenth is a day that, while being rooted in African American history, is able to be celebrated by anyone and everyone. There are no partisan intentions behind the day. It is just meant for people to know and celebrate the emancipation of American enslaved people.
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