Junteenth is now the largest and most widespread of all of the local Jubilee celebrations of Emancipation. |
Note: For
some reason there has been a surge in interest over Junteenth this year, at
least in my social media world. It came
up on a wide ranging Facebook group I belong to and elicited many
comments. Just the other day a reader of
my post on the South Carolina child execution specifically asked for a post on
the subject. Glad to oblige.
Abraham Lincoln issued
the Emancipation Proclamation on
September 22, 1862. Word spread through the slave
grapevine pretty quickly in much
of the Confederacy and, as Lincoln
had hoped, many slaves abandoned their plantations and sought the
safety of Union forces where
ever they could. Not only did this cripple the Rebel economy, but the refugees formed a pool of laborers, teamsters, and—eventually—troops in support of the war effort.
But things were different
in Texas on the western edge of the Confederacy.
Word was slow getting there. After the fall of Vicksburg in 1863 Confederate territory west of the Mississippi
was pretty well cut off from the
eastern states. Although word might have
leaked through in some places,
around Galveston, the main port for the exportation of cotton
from East Texas, slave owners evidently were pretty successful in keeping their property from learning that they were free.
Far from the
main theater of the war, the last
battles were fought in Texas along the Rio
Grande on May 13 and Major General Kirby Smith, commander
of the Trans-Mississippi District
became the last major Rebel commander
to formally surrender on June
2.
On June 18, 1867 Major General Gordon Granger read the order announcing Emancipation in Galviston, Texas. |
On June 18 Major
General Gordon Granger landed on Galveston
Island to take possession of Texas for the Union. The next day, June 19, the
General was said to have stepped onto
the balcony of the Ashton
Villa Hotel and addressed a large crowd of Blacks. He read them his General Order #3:
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 personal
rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the
connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and
hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes
and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect
at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there
or elsewhere.
The announcement set off joyous celebrations and the word spread
across Texas. The next year, former slaves marked the occasion with more celebrations, which soon became a yearly event. These were similar to those that occurred across
the South on local anniversaries of
the Jubilee Days of Emancipation.
The Texas
observances quickly became major annual
events in Black communities. By 1870
the day became known as Juneteenth
and various traditions started to be
associated with it. Outdoor
gatherings of extended families,
churches, or communities grew to be all
day festivals. The day typically
began with Gordon’s order being read or the text of the Emancipation
Proclamation followed by recitations of
family stories, singing songs
like Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, dancing, the recitation of poetry, and prayer. The central
event of the day was usually a community-wide
barbeque and pot luck.
Because slave codes often forbade those in bondage
from wearing finery of any kind, by the late 19th Century people turned
out in their finest clothes. There were sports of various sorts,
particularly baseball, races of all sorts, and—particularly in
West Texas—rodeos.
In many
towns local blacks pooled their funds
to buy land for the annual
gatherings. These Juneteenth Grounds have since become city parks in places like Houston
and Austin.
Late 19th Century ladies in full finery drive a carriage decorated for a Juneteenth parade. |
Needless to
say, large, exuberant gatherings of
Black people frightened and alarmed many whites. There were attempts
to discouraged participation, but
the celebrations continued. The Depression took a toll on observances
as families were dispersed, and many
rural Blacks sought work in cities where employers did not take kindly to taking days off of work. Younger
folks also began to look on the gatherings a simply old fashioned.
The Civil Rights movement reignited interest in the ‘50’s and
‘60’s. After Martin Luther King’s assassination the Reverend Ralph Abernathy promoted
celebrations of Juneteenth during the Poor
People’s Campaign in Washington. Observances began to spread beyond Texas.
By 2000 a movement arose to make Juneteenth a holiday of some sort in all states
and recognition by the Federal Government. It is an official state Holiday in Texas and 36 states have granted some
sort of recognition. The celebration has
even gathered momentum in Africa and
other places around the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment