What is Juneteenth? Why should the church celebrate it?
Why we should all celebrate Freedom!
The Juneteeth Timeline
The Emancipation Proclamation
President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, as the nation approached its third year of bloody civil war. The proclamation declared "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free." This did not declare an end of slavery throughout the entire United States, only in areas in rebellion.
The Thirteenth Amendment is ratified
Only through the Thirteenth Amendment did emancipation become national policy. It was passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864, and by the House on January 31, 1865. The joint resolution of both bodies that submitted the amendment to the states for approval was signed by President Abraham Lincoln on February 1, 1865. Ratified on December 6, 1865, it was the first of the three Reconstruction Amendments, adopted between 1865 and 1870 following the American Civil War.
Juneteenth Declared
Despite the surrender of the Confederacy in April of 1863 not everyone in Confederate territory would immediately be free. Even though the Emancipation Proclamation was made effective in 1863, it could not be implemented in places still under Confederate control. As a result, in the westernmost Confederate state of Texas, enslaved people would not be free until much later. Freedom finally came on June 19, 1865, when some 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas. The army announced that the more than 250,000 enslaved black people in the state, were free by executive decree. This day came to be known as "Juneteenth," by the newly freed people in Texas.
The Civil War Ends
Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, the head of the Union Army, on April 9, 1865 at Appomattox Court House in Virginia, the Civil War did not end until 16 months later.
The official end came when President Andrew Johnson, who was vice president until the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln in April, declared a formal end to the war on Aug. 20th, 1866.
Second Independence Day
Juneteenth marks our country’s second independence day. Although it has long celebrated in the African American community, this monumental event remains largely unknown to most Americans.
The historical legacy of Juneteenth shows the value of never giving up hope in uncertain times. President Biden signed the Federal Holiday of Juneteenth into law in 2021, as did Ohio Governor DeWine the same year.
Sources:
https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/historical-legacy-juneteenth
https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured-documents/emancipation-proclamation#:~:text=President%20Abraham%20Lincoln%20issued%20the,and%20henceforward%20shall%20be%20free.%22