On This Day..............

I'm buildin' me a home



This earthly house is gonna soon decay


And my soul gotta have some place to stay

( Lyrics from the Old Negro Spiritual  "I'm Building Me a Home")
 
On this day June 19, 1865 the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that all slaves were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation - which had become official January 1, 1863. 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 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 General Granger's first orders was to read to the people in the state of Texas the following:" 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 rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and free laborer."
 

 
What Was The Aftermath? While many lingered to learn of this new employer to employee relationship, many left before these offers were completely off the lips of their former masters - attesting to the varying conditions on the plantations and the realization of freedom. Even with nowhere to go, many felt that leaving the plantation would be their first grasp of freedom. North was a logical destination and for many it represented true freedom, while the desire to reach family members in neighboring states drove the some into Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma. Settling into these new areas as free men and women brought on new realities and the challenges of establishing a heretofore nonexistent status for black people in America.
 

 
How Is It Celebrated and Remembered?  A range of activities were provided to entertain the masses, many of which continue in tradition today. Rodeos, fishing, barbecuing and baseball are just a few of the typical Juneteenth activities you may witness today. Juneteenth almost always focused on education and self improvement.
 
 

 
 
Thus often guest speakers are brought in and the elders are called upon to recount the events of the past. Prayer services were also a major part of these celebrations. Dress was also an important element in early Juneteenth customs and is often still taken seriously, particularly by the direct descendants who can make the connection to this tradition's roots. During slavery there were laws on the books in many areas that prohibited or limited the dressing of slaves. During the initial days of the emancipation celebrations, there are accounts of slaves tossing their ragged garments into the creeks and rivers to adorn clothing taken from the plantations belonging to their former masters.






My Thoughts and Insight: This day should always be celebrated and many generations of African-American men and women should be informed about this portion of their history. It is evident that I am a descendant of people who have had very humble beginnings in the United States of America.  I will do my best to always teach my peers my children, grandchildren, so on and so forth about historic events such as this one. I posted the brief lyrics to I'm Building Me a Home because many of the slaves sang these songs as a form of therapy as well as communication. I will be honest we are still  not treated and created equally in America I'm proud of Barack Obama for being the nation's African-American President I'm sure many slaves and other people had hopes that something like that could happen. Although that has not solved all of our problems and I wish more of my fellow African-Americans would embrace our culture and take the time to study our history.
 
 
But for what it worth many free African-Americans owned slaves in America as well which is very disturbing but there was also slaves  in Africa as well and people brought to America and Caribbean Islands for gold, salt, ivory, and sugar cane. My main point is learn your history and never be ashamed of your culture and identity.