Many interesting facts aren’t well-reported surrounding the events that led to Juneteenth Day, so I’m going tell what I've uncovered. Some of what I’m about to share is surprising; some is inspiring, and a lot of it is puzzling.
Juneteenth began because Texans were the last to find out about the Emancipation Proclamation (EP). President Lincoln issued the (EP) in September of 1862 to take effect on January 1, 1863.
Thousands of Black Americans eagerly gathered the night before it took effect and waited for the bells to strike midnight. Yet 250,000 Texas slaves and their masters remained in the dark until General Granger arrived in Galveston with 2,000 union troops and issued General Order Number 3, two and a half years later on June 19, 1965.
In Washington, D.C., Frederick Douglass attended one of those December 31 “watch parties” and said, “It was one of the most affecting and thrilling occasions I ever witnessed, and a worthy celebration of the first part of the nation in its departure from the thralldom (bondage) of the ages.”
Yet, the Emancipation Proclamation (EP) did not end slavery legally. The 13th Amendment did.
The proclamation planted an idea that took root and grew with velocity. Its sheer word power took aim, like a supersonic missile, at the southern states The most quoted passage is this, “That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; and the Executive Government of the United States, including the military and naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons…”
Reading further, the EP contains a paragraph that stipulates the proclamation does not apply to any state having Congressional representation, which means border states like Kentucky that allowed slavery were unaffected. Another paragraph details which parishes in Louisiana and counties in W. Virginia remained enslaved because those areas were Union occupied. The EP also declares that freed slaves must be compensated fairly and allowed to enlist in the Union army and navy.
It was the stroke of a pen by a genius political strategist. At that point in time, he was losing the war. I’m not saying Lincoln did this as political calculation to defeat the South which some have argued. I beg to differ based upon what I've read in the personal accounts of Elizabeth Keckley, Mary Todd Lincoln's closest friend. She authored a book revealing firsthand experiences with the Lincolns. I will repost those stories soon.
Further evidence is in the EP itself.
Lincoln writes, “And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution, upon military necessity, I invoke the considerate judgment of mankind, and the gracious favor of Almighty God.”
From what I’ve gleaned, his faith grew the more he suffered. He knew that slavery was immoral and had to end. His was a courageous act that would cost him his life.
The Emancipation Proclamation had greater moral power than a law, but it was not a law.
Congress soon responded to the EP by passing legislation called the Military Pay bill to pay Black soldiers on par with white soldiers (June 20, 1864). Eight days later they repealed the Fugitive Slave Act (June 28, 1864). Interestingly, 118 Republicans voted to repeal the act but only two of the 83 Democrats did. Almost all the northern Democrats supported slavery. Congress also created the Bureau for the Relief of Freedmen and Refugees on March 3, 1865.
But what ended slavery finally was the 13th Amendment. This is what the nation should celebrate. Here is the text:
AMENDMENT XIII
Section 1.Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
Passed by Congress January 31, 1865. Ratified December 6, 1865
In a Constitutional amendment, the president plays no roll. Once it passes both houses, the amendment goes to the states legislatures to be ratified. Twenty-seven of the thirty-six states ratified the 13th amendment.
The Senate first passed it the year before and then by the House of Representatives on January 31, 1865. In this case, all 118 Republicans voted for the 13th Amendment and nineteen of the 83 Democrats.
Texas won't know about the Emancipation Proclamation for another six months. They may have not known about the Thirteenth Amendment either. It was passed by the time of General Granger's arrival, but it was in the process of being ratified by the states.
Why Texans were the last to know these things is a mystery. There are many myths about this, but the fact remains, Texas maintained its fighting stance until the arrival of General Gordon Granger.
Here’s what General Gordon read in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865.
General Order Number 3
“The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. 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.”
Usually, the quote is cited without the last two lines. I think it’s important to know its entirety.
Remember, by this time, Lincoln was already dead. He was assassinated on April 14th, 1865, five days after General Lee surrendered to General Grant.
Lincoln had served his purpose. He ended the scourge of slavery in the United States. Texas may have been the last to know, but it was the first to celebrate Juneteenth and recognize it as an official holiday.
Juneteenth is a monumental day for the cause of liberating the enslaved. So is the passage of the 13th Amendment. Both days should be celebrated. The 13th Amendment should be celebrated nationally. Juneteenth has been a Texas state holiday since 1979. The reasons it has now become national holiday is the subject of another story which one day I hope to tell.
Questions? Write to Kathryn@TexasHeritage.net.
Comments