{"id":161698,"date":"2024-06-19T02:23:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-19T09:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dherbs.com\/?p=161698"},"modified":"2024-06-19T02:23:11","modified_gmt":"2024-06-19T09:23:11","slug":"the-historical-legacy-of-juneteenth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dherbs.com\/articles\/the-historical-legacy-of-juneteenth\/","title":{"rendered":"The Historical Legacy Of Juneteenth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
On June 19th, 1865, federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed. Juneteenth, as it was and is still called, has been celebrated by African Americans since the late 1800s. In 2021, President Biden signed legislation to make Juneteenth<\/strong>, which falls on June 19th, a federal holiday. Even before passing this bill, there was an observable increase in Juneteenth celebrations across the United States. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
How Did Juneteenth Begin?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in June of 1865, a full two months after the Confederate general Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox, Virginia. The arrival of General Gordon Granger and his 2,000 troops was to inform the nearly 250,000 enslaved African Americans in Texas of their freedom and the end of the Civil War. General Granger\u2019s announcement put into effect the Emancipation Proclamation, which President Abraham Lincoln issued nearly two and half years earlier on January 1, 1863. The holiday, Juneteenth<\/strong>, is also called Juneteenth Independence Day, Freedom Day, or Emancipation Day.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The post-emancipation period, or Reconstruction (1865-1867) marked an era of new hope, uncertainty, and struggle for the nation. Formerly enslaved people sought to reunite with families, establish schools, push laws into legislation, run for political office, and even sue slaveholders for compensation. Juneteenth, then, acts as a second day of independence in the United States. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
How Is Juneteenth Celebrated?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Despite the fact that it has been a long celebrated tradition in the African American community, Juneteenth is a monumental event that remains largely unknown to most Americans. The historical legacy<\/strong> of the day represents the value of never giving up hope in times of uncertainty. While many people may get the day off work for this federal holiday, early celebrations involved small family gatherings and prayer. As the years went by, later celebrations involved pilgrimages to Galveston to former enslaved people and their families. <\/p>\n\n\n\n