Robbins Library: Juneteenth: A Library Guide

Press release from Robbins Library:

June 19, 2021

The Town of Arlington is celebrating Juneteenth Independence Day on June 19, honoring the day (June 19, 1865) when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas were made aware of the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth has been celebrated in African-American communities since 1866, but wasn’t officially recognized as a state observed holiday in Massachusetts until recently.

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More than two years would pass, however, before the news reached African Americans living in Texas. It was not until Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, that the state’s residents finally learned that slavery had been abolished. The former enslaved individuals immediately began to celebrate with prayer, feasting, song, and dance.

The following year, on June 19, the first official Juneteenth celebrations took place in Texas. The original observances included prayer meetings and the singing of spirituals, and celebrants wore new clothes as a way of representing their newfound freedom. Within a few years, African Americans in other states were celebrating the day as well, making it an annual tradition. Celebrations have continued across the United States into the 21st century and typically include prayer and religious services, speeches, educational events, family gatherings and picnics, and festivals with music, food, and dancing.

Juneteenth became a state holiday in Texas in 1980, and a number of other states subsequently followed suit. The day is also celebrated outside the United States, with organizations in a number of countries using the day to recognize the end of slavery and to celebrate the culture and achievements of African Americans.Source: “Juneteenth.” Britannica Library, Encyclopædia Britannica, 12 Mar. 2021. library.eb.com/levels/referencecenter/article/Juneteenth/438704. Accessed 22 May. 2021.

WHY IS JUNETEENTH IMPORTANT?

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?Emancipation Proclamation: (1863) Edict issued by U.S. Pres. Abraham Lincoln that freed the slaves of the Confederacy. On taking office, Lincoln was concerned with preserving the Union and wanted only to prevent slavery from expanding into the Western territories; but, after the South seceded, there was no political reason to tolerate slavery. In September 1862 he called on the seceded states to return to the Union or have their slaves declared free. When no state returned, he issued the proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863. The edict had no power in the Confederacy, but it provided moral inspiration for the North and discouraged European countries from supporting the South. It also had the practical effect of permitting recruitment of African Americans for the Union army; by 1865 nearly 180,000 African American soldiers had enlisted. The Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1865, officially abolished slavery in the entire country. [Read More]13th Amendment: Passed by Congress on January 31st, 1865, and ratified on December 6th, 1865, the 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the United States.

Abraham Lincoln [Read More]

The 13th Amendment passed the Senate on April 8th, 1864, and the House on January 31st, 1865. On February 1st, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln approved the Joint Resolution of Congress submitting the proposed amendment to the state legislatures. The necessary number of states ratified it by December 6th, 1865. The 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution provides that “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.” [Read More]

Major-General Granger’s General Orders #3: On June 19, 1865, two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln’s historic Emancipation Proclamation, U.S. Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3, which informed the people of Texas that all enslaved people were now free. Granger commanded the Headquarters District of Texas, and his troops had arrived in Galveston the previous day.

General Order No. 3, issued by Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger, June 19, 1865. The order was written in a volume beginning on one page and continuing to the next. (RG 393, Part II, Entry 5543, District of Texas, General Orders Issued)  

The official handwritten record of General Order No. 3, is preserved at the National Archives Building in Washington, DC. [See National Archives blog]

LOCAL

[NPR] How An Enslaved Woman Sued And Won Her Freedom In 18th-Century Massachusetts

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For more titles, check out this amazing reading list by NYPL!

This press release was produced by Robbins Library. The views expressed here are the author’s own.