The 145th anniversary of a tremendous step toward a more perfect Union. Although the Emancipation Proclamation took effect as of January 1, 1863, the Civil War, as we know, had yet to end at that time, and so for many people still enslaved, this pronouncement was the true beginning of a long hard road to freedom:
“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 rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and free laborer.”
–Major General Gordon Granger
Galveston, TX
June 19, 1865
From:
http://www.juneteenth.com/history.htm
Here’s the 2009 statement from the White House, on the 144th anniversary:
STATEMENT FROM PRESIDENT OBAMA ON THE OCCASION OF JUNETEENTH
On this day in 1865, more than two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, those who found themselves still enslaved in Galveston, Texas had their hopes realized and their prayers answered. Contrary to what others had told them, the rumors they had heard were indeed true. The Civil War had ended, and they were now free.
From:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/statement-president-obama-occasion-juneteenth
So let’s raise our glasses in tribute, and have a thought for all those who sacrificed and continue to sacrifice in the cause of freedom here in America and around the world. Cheers!