Free Essay Sample on History of Juneteenth

Introduction

Abraham Lincoln, a father figure in the United States, was a leader and could see society's gaps from a different perspective. In September 1862, Abraham Lincoln abolished an explicit war goal for the Union. Still, the unfortunate befell the abolition because the enactment was neither seen to completion nor affected immediately. The order that was from the executive came from a proclamation that changed the legal statuses of federal lives of more than 3.5 million enslaved African Americans in affiliate states of confederation from slave status to free (The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth, 2020). The law that was to take effect immediately did not realize the full potential or even grant citizenship to the enslaved people. The proclamation influenced opinions from most citizens, but the milestone that was recognized even to higher levels was to strengthen the Union. This was achieved by enrolling the blacks to join the military forces that led to the realization of support from the European allies. The achievements failed to ensure the immediate liberty of the rights of African Americans in and around the nation.

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Civil Wars

Civil wars could not just end from word of mouth, and thus there was a need to have the Union troops at the ground to enforce the laws till the year 1865 (The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth, 2020). During this tenure, Texas was a remote united state with a limited number of Union State troops. This feature made the lords continue to enslave the African Americans until over two months after Robert E. Lee surrendered the same year on June 19th (Jeffries, 2004). On the same day of Robert's E. Lee surrender, General Gordon Granger read a federal order named the General law No. Three that made it known to the citizens of the entire population's emancipation were enslaved in Texas (Reagon et al., 1862). Texas's state happens to have been the last state to officially and in practical emancipate her slaves almost three years after Abraham Lincoln first gave the Emancipation Proclamation (Reagon et al., 1862). During the same year, in December, there was a ratification of the thirteenth amendment that sought to ensure all the people residing in the United States had equal rights in all their endeavors.

The news on emancipation reached the blacks in all walks of life within the United States and across Texas, and the citizens greeted the news in jubilation, remembrance, and celebration. On the same day, the subsequent year 1866, June 19th, 1866, marked the first Jubilee Day (The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth, 2020). The Annual holiday gained acceptance within the nations, and in a decade, the holiday was referred to as Juneteenth. Juneteenth, a portmanteau of June and nineteenth, was also referred to as Freedom Day, which marks the liberation of Texas's enslaved people. Still, the bigger picture is seen as a liberation day of black Americans from all walks of life. All gratitude is to the organization of the blacks who ensured this day remained in memories of all in their Unity and perseverance (Hume & Arceneaux, 2008). The Blacks within the nation of Texas were refrained from entering a segregated park for their commemoration and celebrations of this day of jubilation and liberation from slavery (Jeffries, 2004). Through their Unity, the blacks pooled their money to buy land that they used for their celebrations for this day. Today in America, 47 nations out of the 50 countries recognize the Juneteenth holiday as a state or ceremonial holiday (The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth, 2020). The celebrations take place because of the Black activists' persistence, leaders in the various communities, and the small units of the community who wish to commemorate this day and celebrate growth. Many activities take place, some of them being reading the artworks of blacks who lived in history, barbecues, soul food festivities, and voter registration efforts. Many people consider Juneteenth as an Independence Day, and it is worthy of recognition as a federal holiday.

Causes of the Historical Event

Some of the underlying triggers that led to the liberation of black African and Americans were crucial during Abraham Lincoln's tenure. The black Americans heard his people's cry, and he felt the urge to free them from slavery. During the time Abraham Lincoln ordered emancipation, the news was dispersed slowly. Thus, most states never took action immediately, especially Texas (So You Want to Learn About Juneteenth? 2020). Texas happens to be the last state who realized liberation and thus came up with the Juneteenth Holiday. The whites who were then the masters and the backs the slaves never welcomed the news, and they were hesitant because it now meant that they had equal rights, and thus the result would have been a scramble for the scarce resources within the nation (Reagon et al., 1862). Again, all this while the civil war was taking place, and the slaves were considered property rather than a fellow human. Some were exposed to the conflicts' rough conditions and worked for their masters for even basic needs.

Important Participants of Juneteenth

Abraham Lincoln goes down history during this tenure as a leader and a significant influence on the blacks' success and liberation during the civil war (Hume & Arceneaux, 2008). Anna J. Cooper was a voice from the south who advocated for civil and women rights. She was again one of the first figures of black feminists in this era. Frederick Douglass was an escaped slave who relentlessly worked towards abolishing the war (Hume & Arceneaux, 2008). He pursued a career of influencing the American conscience.

Long-Term Consequences

It is clear that the nation was torn at this time and age, and the leaders were in pursuit of healing itself after the end of the civil war. In the same period, the legislation was passed, but close to negligible responses were observed (So You Want to Learn About Juneteenth? 2020). The subsequent age was the Gilded Age, characterized by excessive classes of wealthy industrialists; there was the birth of a new political philosophy born with a dawn of the progressive era when there were reforms in politics, social, and economics. The impact was severe to the extent that the United States became a superpower, a feature that led to the influence in foreign affairs even in the neighboring continents.

Conclusion

This historical event is important to me because I believe whenever there is a force to something, there is an equally powerful reaction force that jolts the antagonistic entities to greater heights. Being an empathetic person, I understand that slavery was such an awful experience for most blacks. As a historian, I believe I can deduce some milestones achieved during this period. From my thesis statement, I think there are still areas where future researchers can venture and help the current generation understand how important the event is for Blacks in African and America.

References

Hume, J., & Arceneaux, N. (2008). Public Memory, Cultural Legacy, and Press Coverage of the Juneteenth Revival. Journalism History, 34(3), 155-162.

Jeffries, J. L. (2004). Juneteenth, Black Texans, and the case for reparations. Negro Educational Review, 55, 109-118.

National Museum of African American History and Culture. 2020. The Historical Legacy Of Juneteenth. [online] Available at:
https://nmaahc.si.edu/blog-post/historical-legacy-juneteenth.

Nytimes.com. 2020. So You Want To Learn About Juneteenth?. [online] Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/article/juneteenth-day-celebration.html.

Reagon, B. J., Commentator, L. T. C. R., & Wiggins Jr, W. (1862). EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION DAY AND JUNETEENTH.