I think you make the argument/point of why so many Americans, including black Americans, either never heard of Juneteenth or didn't celebrate Juneteenth.....because it was primarily a Texas thing.

DisplacedBuckeye had the best post on Juneteenth in another thread where he posted an image of a plaque that commemorates the first Memorial Day celebration, a celebration of the end of the Civil War and the end of slavery. According to the inscription on the plaque that celebration in 1865 was inclusive and diverse.

I think in a purely historical context Memorial Day should be the true celebration and honoring of those who died to save the Union and end slavery. To make Juneteenth a national holiday to celebrate the official end of slavery in TX is giving too much historical weight to the delay in getting the message to every slave owner in TX to free their slaves.

This post was edited on 6/23/23 at 10:52 am

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Posted by AggieHank86

Texas

Member since Sep 2013

42941 posts

Posted on 6/23/23 at 11:16 am to Bass Tiger

quote:
To make Juneteenth a national holiday to celebrate the official end of slavery in TX is giving too much historical weight to the delay in getting the message to every slave owner in TX to free their slaves.

But it does not celebrate just the end of slavery in Texas. Its original (and still official) name in Texas was Emancipation Day, and it has expanded to a celebration of the end of slavery generally.

The Proclamation was signed on January-1, so that date was already taken for a national holiday. Taking June-19 (from Texas) for the celebration was practical because millions of people were already commemorating essentially the same concept ("Emancipation") on that date.

Yes, it is unfortunate that it took a PoS like George Floyd to bring the issue to the forefront.

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