# Congress Overwhelmingly Approves Juneteenth as New Federal Holiday **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [June 17, 2021, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congress-overwhelmingly-approves-juneteenth-as-new-federal-holiday/944440 "2021-06-17T04:52:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2021, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congress-overwhelmingly-approves-juneteenth-as-new-federal-holiday/944440/101 "2021-06-19T23:36:39Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > > [@Deeg](#): > > > > about on par with the confusion that Lincoln’s proclamation didn’t really free the slaves. > > The Proclamation did free slaves. It had to be implemented by military action, but it resulted in freed slaves. Prior to the Proclamation, when the Union armies captured territory from the CSA, that did not change the legal status of the slaves in that territory. It’s a myth that the Emancipation Proclamation didn’t immediately free any slaves. It freed tens of thousands of slaves on the day it went into effect. The proclamation didn’t specifically free slaves in Confederate territory; it freed slaves whose owners were in Confederate territory. There were tens of thousands of slaves like this who had escaped from their owners and were now living in American territory. The Emancipation Proclamation freed all of them on the day it went into effect. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2021, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congress-overwhelmingly-approves-juneteenth-as-new-federal-holiday/944440/102 "2021-06-20T00:18:40Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Starting with Thanksgiving and continuing through Christmas, NYE, MLK Day and then President’s Day, we have many holidays between November and February. And then there’s a drought until Memorial Day. I’d kind of like it if the holidays were more evenly spread out. I’ve long thought that we should move MLK Day to the Monday that falls within 3 Apr to 9 Apr (inclusive). The current date of MLK Day is too soon after the winter holidays. Putting it in early April would fill the long gap between President’s Day and Memorial Day. That date range means it won’t fall on April Fools Day, but will still be close to or on the day he was assassinated. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2021, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congress-overwhelmingly-approves-juneteenth-as-new-federal-holiday/944440/103 "2021-06-20T00:20:27Z")
How about August 28? That’s the anniversary of the day King delivered his “I have a dream” speech. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2021, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congress-overwhelmingly-approves-juneteenth-as-new-federal-holiday/944440/104 "2021-06-20T00:27:21Z")
Too close to Labor Day. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2021, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congress-overwhelmingly-approves-juneteenth-as-new-federal-holiday/944440/105 "2021-06-20T00:45:52Z")
True. But we should move Labor Day to May 1. That’s when the rest of the world celebrates it. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2021, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congress-overwhelmingly-approves-juneteenth-as-new-federal-holiday/944440/106 "2021-06-20T01:31:40Z")
Ahem. 🇨🇦 ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2021, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congress-overwhelmingly-approves-juneteenth-as-new-federal-holiday/944440/107 "2021-06-20T02:54:18Z")
Is there a popular myth that the EP didn’t free any slaves? I’ve never heard that. The EP freed a large number of slaves. However, it didn’t: 1. Free all slaves. 2. Didn’t free them permanently, since the EP was made under Lincoln’s war powers. Once the war was over the EP had no authority and was on shaky legal ground to begin with. \* The 13th Amendment freed all slaves for eternity. Looking back on it, it’s fairly stunning that we don’t commemorate the end of slavery. We don’t commemorate the end of the Civil War, either, so I suppose we just wanted to get past that part of our history with little comment. \* - While it’s always dangerous to use Hollywood for history, Spielberg’s _Lincoln_ does a pretty good job of explaining the issue. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2021, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congress-overwhelmingly-approves-juneteenth-as-new-federal-holiday/944440/108 "2021-06-20T02:57:13Z")
> [@Deeg](#): > > Is there a popular myth that the EP didn’t free any slaves? I’ve never heard that. I have heard people say it, often combined with a derogatory sneer at Lincoln: “yeah, Lincoln, not like he really freed any slaves.” ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2021, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congress-overwhelmingly-approves-juneteenth-as-new-federal-holiday/944440/109 "2021-06-20T03:37:42Z")
But then summer would be over a month before it begins! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2021, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congress-overwhelmingly-approves-juneteenth-as-new-federal-holiday/944440/110 "2021-06-20T04:07:53Z")
> [@Deeg](#): > > Is there a popular myth that the EP didn’t free any slaves? I’ve never heard that. I’ve heard people say it. Including on this message board. > [@Deeg](#): > > Didn’t free them permanently, since the EP was made under Lincoln’s war powers. Once the war was over the EP had no authority and was on shaky legal ground to begin with. \* I don’t think this is correct. My understanding is that the law did not recognize any legal means to re-enslave somebody after they had been legally freed. ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2021, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congress-overwhelmingly-approves-juneteenth-as-new-federal-holiday/944440/111 "2021-06-20T04:54:22Z")
The EP was never challenged in court. If it had it is conceivable that the EP would be overturned, throwing millions back into slavery. The 13th amendment made it forever moot. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2021, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congress-overwhelmingly-approves-juneteenth-as-new-federal-holiday/944440/112 "2021-06-20T08:00:07Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > True. But we should move Labor Day to May 1. That’s when the rest of the world celebrates it. I agree, but it will never happen because then the downtrodden peons might become more aware of the [Haymarket riot](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haymarket_affair), and that might lead to them thinking and asking questions and maybe getting ideas… ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2021, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congress-overwhelmingly-approves-juneteenth-as-new-federal-holiday/944440/113 "2021-06-20T10:13:44Z")
I’m just popping in to say that my history education was so awful, or dominated by white supremacists, that we didn’t learn: About Juneteenth That Delaware and Kentucky kept people enslaved until the 13th Amendment (found out in this thread) That the Emancipation Proclamation didn’t free enslaved people in the Union (found out in this thread) About the Tulsa Massacre (found out from the Watchmen series) That’s on top of all the lies about States Rights, the connection between white supremacy and the Confederate Flag, etc. I’m in my 50s. Is there any other war where the hisstory was written so completely by the losers? I’m not sure if this is the right thread for this mini-rant, but my complete lack of knowledge about Juneteenth until the last couple of years just brought all of those other lies or cover-ups into focus for me. ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2021, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congress-overwhelmingly-approves-juneteenth-as-new-federal-holiday/944440/114 "2021-06-20T14:26:04Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > About Juneteenth > That Delaware and Kentucky kept people enslaved until the 13th Amendment (found out in this thread) > That the Emancipation Proclamation didn’t free enslaved people in the Union (found out in this thread) > About the Tulsa Massacre (found out from the Watchmen series) I don’t think this is necessarily a sign of history by white supremacists. A lot of it is regional. I’ve lived in Boston and Seattle most of my life and never heard of Juneteenth until Trump blundered into it because that is largely a Southern celebration. The confusion over the EP and 13th Amendment is understandable as a simplification of history. For sure we gloss over (or ignore) a lot of the tragedies in our history, like Japanese interment camps, the Tulsa massacre, and The Trail of Tears. History is vast and there are a lot of tragedies to cover; some are going to get short shrift. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2021, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congress-overwhelmingly-approves-juneteenth-as-new-federal-holiday/944440/115 "2021-06-20T15:19:39Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > I’m just popping in to say that my history education was so awful, or dominated by white supremacists You might want to sit down while you read about [George Washington and the Iroquois](https://www.historynet.com/massacre-retribution-the-1779-80-sullivan-expedition.htm). ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2021, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congress-overwhelmingly-approves-juneteenth-as-new-federal-holiday/944440/116 "2021-06-20T17:27:43Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > About the Tulsa Massacre (found out from the Watchmen series) Then you probably aren’t aware that the Tulsa Massacre was not the only such incident, although it was probably the largest. There were similar attacks on Black neighborhoods in various other Southern cities throughout that era. For example, the one in [Wilmington NC in 1898](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilmington_insurrection_of_1898). There a list of more of them in the sidebar on that page. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2021, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congress-overwhelmingly-approves-juneteenth-as-new-federal-holiday/944440/117 "2021-06-20T18:33:58Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > I’m not sure if this is the right thread for this mini-rant, but my complete lack of knowledge about Juneteenth until the last couple of years just brought all of those other lies or cover-ups into focus for me. When is it too late to learn? At your funeral. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2021, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congress-overwhelmingly-approves-juneteenth-as-new-federal-holiday/944440/118 "2021-06-20T18:41:24Z")
Thanks, everyone, for the responses. I really didn’t want to hijack this thread, so sorry about that. This thread should be cause for celebration. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2021, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congress-overwhelmingly-approves-juneteenth-as-new-federal-holiday/944440/119 "2021-06-20T18:58:35Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Then you probably aren’t aware that the Tulsa Massacre was not the only such incident, although it was probably the largest. I learned about the [Springfield race riot](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springfield_race_riot_of_1908) in my thirties from a friend who had grown up in Springfield. A lot of this is regional history that is just not widely known outside the area it happened. ---
**Author:** ![Ron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecae2f/32.png) [@Ron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ron)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2021, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congress-overwhelmingly-approves-juneteenth-as-new-federal-holiday/944440/120 "2021-06-21T20:21:40Z")
HAPPY HOLIDAYS everyone !!! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/congress-overwhelmingly-approves-juneteenth-as-new-federal-holiday/944440.md?page=5)