On June 19, 1775, George Washington received his commission as commander in chief of the Continental army from the delegates assembled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Originally Posted by InChiefsHeaven:
Just looked it up. Yep, end of slavery as the last state to hold out on enforcing the Emancipation Proclamation (Texas) freed their slaves on June 19th 1865.
I mean, OK, that's a worthwhile thing to celebrate I suppose. More important than probably Columbus Day, or at least as important.
That's not even accurate. The date slavery totally ended was Dec 6th but Juneteenth sounds better.
Originally Posted by :
Although this date commemorates enslaved people learning of their freedom under the Emancipation Proclamation, this only applied to former Confederate states. There remained legally enslaved people in states that never seceded from the Union. These people did not gain their freedom until the ratification of the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution on December 6, 1865.
Originally Posted by Marcellus:
That's not even accurate. The date slavery totally ended was Dec 6th but Juneteenth sounds better.
The holiday was originally just celebrated in Texas starting in 1866, so the date makes sense. June needed a holiday anyway. Kinda fun that this one can fall on any day of the week like Independence Day. Today is like a mini-weekend. [Reply]
Originally Posted by InChiefsHeaven:
So, what are we actually supposed to be celebrating today? I honestly don't know...
Originally Posted by WhawhaWhat:
The end of slavery in the US.
You two and a lot others on here need to read a history book every once in a while.
Lincoln freed the slaves in 1863. The Texas territory decided not to tell the slaves and keep them as slaves. The federal government forced Texas to finally tell the slaves on June 19th 1865 that they were free. The carrot was Texas would be accepted as a state as soon as they freed the slaves. 1866 Texas became a state. It was a trade off. It was a political deal. Nothing to do with human beings being the property of other human beings. [Reply]