Published by TheFanNJ 6/19/2020
JuneTeenth?
As people or citizens of the United States look to celebrate a glorious holiday for minorities; people embark on what does this day truly and really means. First thing is first, when celebrating JuneTeenth; remember there was a flag that “Harriet Tubman” used during the underground railroad. It bore the colors of Black, Red, Yellow and Green.
JuneTeenth started after “Union Army” general known as Major General Gordon Granger, who noticed that slave plantations in Texas didn’t follow the rule of law that the North won the civil war, and slaves were now free. President Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves on January 1, 1863 – yet most states in the South didn’t know about Emancipation Proclamation so Major General Gordon Granger had his union soldiers led by black men to go around to slave plantations and inform the slaves of the Executive Order. And the executive order wasn’t completed to every state in the union until June 19 1865.
So the United States government had unofficially recorded and recognized Juneteenth as the official day that the Emancipation Proclamation reached every plantation in the Union. Which meant that Slaves currently living and working on those plantations – were giving a wage and allowed to leave the plantation without free papers.
Even though, slaves were now free and we aren’t just talking about black people – we are talking about indentured servants as well. Indentured Servants, compromised of Native Americans and Irish citizens known as poor whites, were also free to travel without papers. And in solidarity for freedom in many cities in the South, former slaves and indentured servants traveled to Booker T. Washington park in Limestone County in Texas and had a festival. In those festivals, they promoted the civil rights of voting, running for political office and of course adapting a block party.
JuneTeenth Celebrations in the south became a political block party to celebrate the end of slavery, and promote the rights to run for political office. It was also the day many slaves raised concerns about Slave ownership; as they’ve used this day for their 40 acres and a mule campaign.
Hoodville News 