The Other July 4th . . .

On July 4th, America observes the proclaiming of independence from the European country of England. It was on July 4 of 1776 that the United States issued the Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson and signed by 56 political “colonists” (as they were called) who agreed that it was time for the “colonial states” to sever all ties to Great Britain. Drafted by Thomas Jefferson between June 11 and June 28, 1776, the Declaration of Independence expressed the convictions in the minds and hearts of those individuals and their political philosophy of individual liberty. The document set forth a list of grievances against the King in order to justify before the world the breaking of ties between the colonies and the mother country. Just under 100 years later, another event took place in American History that is often overlooked.

On June 19, 1865, the Civil war had been over for three months (ending in April of 1865), and even the Emancipation Proclamation was going on three years old. (Abraham Lincoln officially issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863.) But somebody forgot to tell many who lived in certain southern states. On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that all slaves were then free. The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new Executive order. However, with the surrender of General Robert E. Lee in April of 1865 and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance.

One of General Granger’s first orders of business was to read to the people of Texas, General Order Number 3 which began, most significantly with:

Attempts to explain the two and a half year delay of the news has yielded several versions that have been handed down through the years. Often told is the story of a messenger who was murdered on his way to Texas with the news of freedom. Another is that the news was deliberately withheld by the slave masters to maintain the labor force on the plantations.. And still another is that federal troops actually waited for the slave owners to reap the benefits of one last cotton harvest before going to Texas to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation. All or none of them could be true. For whatever the reason, conditions in Texas remained status quo well beyond what was statutory.

Since the 1950’s and 60’s there has been a movement to revitalize the observance of “Juneteenth”. There have been positive and negative results. The reactions ranged from student demonstrations to celebrations and festivals. But with the declaration of a state holiday in Texas officially recognizing Juneteenth in the 1980’s, a number of states are considering following suit. Throughout the 80’s and 90’s Juneteenth has continued to enjoy a growing and healthy interest from communities and organizations that have began sponsoring Juneteenth-centered activities. As with Kwanzaa, Juneteenth serves to encourage an awareness of who we are as an African people.