A celebration of Juneteenth and African-American History

by jschooltiger

Happy Juneteenth everyone!

For those not aware, Juneteenth celebrates slavery coming to an end in the United States, commemorating the date, June 19th, when Galveston, Texas, came under American control. Galveston was the last major rebel territory to have the Emancipation Proclamation come into force.

Branching out from its Texas roots, Juneteenth has become an important date for celebration within the African-American community, and is recognized as a holiday by most US states. In recent times, push for Federal recognition has given the date particular prominence, and this year in particular has seen growing support for that, and a growing sense of its importance.

In light of this, we felt it appropriate to use the day to highlight some past answers on the subreddit that speak to the history of African-Americans, as well as the struggle to guarantee truly equal rights that continued, and still remains, in the wake of emancipation.

Below you will see multiple threads that address and highlight African-American history, the continuing fight for equal rights for Black Americans, and the ongoing effort to ensure that, in the words of the enslaver Thomas Jefferson, all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Start off with /u/freedmenspatrol in What recommended sources and resources would you recommend for integrating African American history into history curriculum and fill in my own gaps of knowledge?
/u/Takeoffdpantsnjaket wrote a heartbreaking post about What happened to the Black community in Forsyth County, Georgia, in 1912?
/u/Lyeta explored Did the Women's Suffrage Movement in the United States Include African-American?
/u/hillsonghoods has a number of fantastic posts on the legacy of African-Americans in music history!
African-Americans invented rock, jazz, blues, and rap. How did one marginalized minority have such a large impact on music?
And the influence of Bob Marley
u/vpltz takes a look at Josephine Baker became a famous African-American star!
/u/DBHT14 writes about writing about the drawdown of the American military in 1866, and its effect on the regiments of Buffalo Soldier’s who’d fought bravely for the country.
/u/afro-tastic tackled What strategies did the Civil Rights Movement in the US employ?
and u/janvs explains What's the history of Juneteenth? When did it first become celebrated in the Black community in the U.S.?

Feel free to add more threads in the comments below!

OneOfAKindness

I love this subreddit so much

abirdofthesky

Happy Juneteenth! I'm wondering if anyone has book recommendations for a few different topics. I don't really have a specific question so I don't think it would work as its own thread - I just want to know more!

When I went to the African American Museum of History and Culture a couple years ago, I remember reading on some of the didactics that the North had its own racist motivations/debates and complex economic motivations leading into the Civil War. Obviously not a surprise, but, not something that's really taught in high school . Any suggestions for a good deep dive into racial and economic complexities in the North, especially ones that forefront Black perspectives and agency?
We've seen an outpouring of information about and recognition of the racial terrorism and massacres that occurred in the US in the time between the end of the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement. For example, I recently read a FB thread about the Kirk-Holden War of 1870, and of course there's the growing reckoning around the Tulsa Race Massacre. Any book recommendations that speak more to this history of racial terrorism and suppression during Reconstruction and time before Jim Crow?

Thanks! And mods, let me know if this is better placed elsewhere (daily questions?).

MrDowntown

Let's be careful with our wording about Juneteenth. I've seen lots of tweets today that weren't. It's a celebration of emancipation—but it's the anniversary of neither the beginning of liberation, nor the date when slavery finally was ended in the US.

It celebrates when when enslaved people in Texas were told of the January 1, 1863 Emancipation Proclamation. Those in two other states wouldn't be free until December 1865, when the Thirteenth Amendment was ratified by enough states.

JG_melon

How has Congress historically recognized Juneteenth (if at all)?

BiologySoftie

I would love some insight on how historians view the freedom of slaves in the Union Border States. The Emancipation Proclamation did not apply to them, correct? Missouri, Maryland, Delaware, and Kentucky.

But is it the spirit of Juneteenth that's important? I feel I have no say in this, but I genuinely appreciate any explanation. Thank you very much.

mungalo9

When did the name Juneteenth come into use and what caused its widespread adoption?

I'm a little surprised to see such ubiquitous use of an apparently informal name. Were any other names for the holiday widely used in the past?

MiddleCoconut7

I'm white, southern, born in Galveston, and this is a great day! I always thought the parade in Houston was fer me..lmao! I love that I'm Juneteenth

crownjewel82

I just want to add that some states recognize an emancipation day on the date that the Emancipation proclamation took effect there. In Florida we do this on May 20. The building where the announcement was first read still stands and it hosts a reenactment every year.

Unfortunately, May 20 is not a state holiday but I would love to see that happen.

AbusiveLarry

Not tryna be a dick or bash on the holiday but Juneteenth sounds like such a bad name compared to something like emancipation day