"June 19,1865 [is] the day when the last slaves were freed in Texas under the authority of President Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 Emancipation Proclamation." From today's perspective, the amazing part is no federal judge enjoined the Emancipation Proclamation nationally. And if one had, SCOTUS would have then outlawed the practice then, sparring us of the current tyranny.
I'm a staunchly conservative, religious Republican, have been all my life, and I disdain the philosophy and celebrations of the modern "social justice" movement. However, I think Juneteenth is a far more worthy celebration than Civil Rights Day, though it's a worthy celebration too. Two and a half million Union soldiers fought to enforce the emancipation of slaves. 360,000 died and 275,000 were wounded for the cause. I think it's a noble accomplishment to celebrate despite the nauseating canards about "inclusion" by mindless leftists who have no idea about real inclusion, grace, and acceptance, and who overlook the actual, terrible sacrifices of Americans to end this cruel practice. The leftists don't own this holiday. Americans do, especially Republicans who are members of the party that was founded to end slavery.
Regarding the Emancipation Proclamation itself, one more legal detail. Lincoln's position was that this was an exercise of the President's war powers, to weaken the states in active rebellion. As such, Lincoln believed he had no power to proclaim emancipation where there was no war against the Federal government, that is, in the border states.
All days of noble human achievement should be recognized, but only a few should be a federal holiday.
The only two federal holiday worth keeping on the basis of political significance are Independence Day and Memorial Day. Cultural holidays (New Years, Labor Day, Thanksgiving & Christmas) are worth keeping. The remainder should be dropped and if people want to celebrate they can take a personal day.
You are absolutely right. Therefor there is no chance of this ever happening. Too many "voters" are invested in paid, federally-mandated days off. Don't forget all states also give their employees all the federal holidays off.
Great idea! Independence Day can include our country's independence and the emancipation of slaves. Memorial Day can include our reverence for those who gave their lives for our country as well as honoring those who served in the military. That should be plenty of federal holidays. So many of these holidays are excuses for government workers to have a paid day off and now that they have moved all but Independence Day to Mondays, they all get three day weekends. Very few of them are observed with any idea of the original intent of the holiday. Besides, I want Memorial Day returned to the original May 30th, as that was my Dad's birthday.
You champion removing Veterans Day? Why do you want to keep the communist holiday of Labor Day? (Yeah, it's a convenient mark of the end of the summer.)
I don't think it requires a Federal holiday. There's is an argument to make the Monday after the Superbowl a Federal holiday. How about we do that in remembrance of America's veterans?
Of course with the schedule expansion of the NFL, I suppose the Monday after the Superbowl will eventually be Presidents day and football fans will get their day off.
It seems to me that in the context of its proclamation, the official name of "Juneteenth National Independence Day" (per Public Law 117-17), and its proximity to the Fourth of July, it is intended to supplant the celebration of the completion of the Declaration of Independence and further the lie that the founding of the United States was intended to safeguard slavery as advanced by The 1619 Project.
Unfortunately Trump can't junk it alone because the GOP caved in 2021 and it was added to the official list of Federal Holidays as referenced above.
There is a similar kind of illiteracy with regard to slavery being played out in Toronto, Canada. In this case the controversy revolves around William Dundas. If I remember correctly Dundas was an adamant English abolitionist in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. His great crime was to propose that the children of slaves to considered freeborn.
His main concern was that the freeing of slaves by fiat, which he favored, would disrupt various economies of the world. His intent was to ease this economic impact. His mistake was to propose this slave-children-are-freeborn proposal publicly. This action has condemned Dundas to the ash heap of history as a great slaver. To virtue signal their condemnation of Dundas the “slaver” the City Council of Toronto, Canda, has voted to rename Yonge-Dundas square Sankofa Square.
Now, I don’t know what or why Sankofa Square is so named, but as I sit on the receiving end of this Great-Canadian-Virtue-Signal, I know Toronto City Council is beyond reproach even though it is light on its knowledge of history.
Although I agree with you that Juneteenth as a federal holiday is a-historical and stupid to boot, you are incorrect that Trump can "junk" it. It was declared a federal holiday by an Act of Congress and signed into law by Biden. Therefore, it cannot be repealed by Trump.
I grew up in Texas and had never heard of "Juneteenth" until I was well past my 40th birthday. Doesn't seem like it was all that important until creepy Joe came along pandering.
I moved to Texas in 1982 while I was 21 years of age. I was told about Juneteenth the first time it rolled around. I was led to believe that everyone knew about it.
Well, federal employees used to have 80 hours of paid holiday time, thank you taxpayers. They now have 88 hours of paid holiday time, thank you even more taxpayers. What, you didn't vote for that? Oops.
As for the merits of Juneteenth as a national holiday, I tend to support it, but as I have lived outside the US for well over a decade, I have no idea how it is supported these days. When I was growing up in Texas in the 70s and 80s, it was a date for family picnics in the park, singing "Lift Every Voice and Sing" (a song I love), and the like. I think there were fireworks as well. I was more mindful of it than many white Texans, perhaps, because I went to a historically black high school, but as school was out in June, there were no associated school events, so my experience of the holiday was rather second-hand.
You quote Abraham Lincoln: "My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that."
Yes, that is in line with the 19th-century understanding of the Constitution: Congress had legislative supremacy, as Lincoln himself held, and the powers of the president were strictly limited to those afforded by the Constitution. That was NOT the era of the Imperial Presidency, and it's ahistorical to wonder why if Lincoln were opposed to slavery, he didn't, say, just outlaw it with an executive order like an Obama, Biden, or Trump avant la lettre. Lincoln, as did many presidents before, saw protecting and preserving the Union as the basic task of his position. His statement is similar to, for example, Andrew Jackson's toast during the Nullification Crisis: "Our Federal Union: It must be preserved." (And opposition to emancipation in the border states was very strong indeed--when in 1861-1862 Lincoln urged Delaware, which had only 1800 slaves, to enact compensated emancipation, he was thoroughly rebuffed. http://slavenorth.com/delaware.htm Lincoln's position was "prudential" only in the sense that he knew that as the president, he did not have the power under the contemporary interpretation of the Constitution to touch slavery in any of the states not in rebellion, and the case of Delaware made clear that the border states would be ever-vigilant on slavery's behalf.)
Hard disagree. You said it yourself that it's been celebrated since 1866; it's a perfect day to reflect on slavery and emancipation.
The historical Jesus wasn't born on December 25th; should Trump rescind Christmas and replace it with a day in the spring that is more historically accurate? Of course not. Same goes for Juneteenth.
Frankly, I don't care one way or the other. Either date is fine by me. I suspect that Trump, if he's so inclined to consider the issue (and I don't think that he is), he'll test the political winds to come to a decision. As much as I like Trump, many issues are decided on pragmatism than principle. And that's why he's The President.
It was popular among leftists in the '70s to try to deny Lincoln and the North credit for ending slavery by declaring, "The Civil War had nothing to do with slavery; it was all about states' rights." To which I would respond, "Oh? The states' rights to do what, name their own state flowers?"
"June 19,1865 [is] the day when the last slaves were freed in Texas under the authority of President Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 Emancipation Proclamation." From today's perspective, the amazing part is no federal judge enjoined the Emancipation Proclamation nationally. And if one had, SCOTUS would have then outlawed the practice then, sparring us of the current tyranny.
I'm a staunchly conservative, religious Republican, have been all my life, and I disdain the philosophy and celebrations of the modern "social justice" movement. However, I think Juneteenth is a far more worthy celebration than Civil Rights Day, though it's a worthy celebration too. Two and a half million Union soldiers fought to enforce the emancipation of slaves. 360,000 died and 275,000 were wounded for the cause. I think it's a noble accomplishment to celebrate despite the nauseating canards about "inclusion" by mindless leftists who have no idea about real inclusion, grace, and acceptance, and who overlook the actual, terrible sacrifices of Americans to end this cruel practice. The leftists don't own this holiday. Americans do, especially Republicans who are members of the party that was founded to end slavery.
Well said. If we must have these holidays, they should be taught and celebrated based on historical truth, as opposed to political propanganda.
I'm with you. I'm not going to a neighborhood music event tomorrow because I know it will presented as celebrating this. Cringe-y.
Article states the amendment passed on 12/18. Yet Lucretia proposes 12/13--typo? Also the holiday should have a proper name. Emancipation Day?
Regarding the Emancipation Proclamation itself, one more legal detail. Lincoln's position was that this was an exercise of the President's war powers, to weaken the states in active rebellion. As such, Lincoln believed he had no power to proclaim emancipation where there was no war against the Federal government, that is, in the border states.
All days of noble human achievement should be recognized, but only a few should be a federal holiday.
The only two federal holiday worth keeping on the basis of political significance are Independence Day and Memorial Day. Cultural holidays (New Years, Labor Day, Thanksgiving & Christmas) are worth keeping. The remainder should be dropped and if people want to celebrate they can take a personal day.
You are absolutely right. Therefor there is no chance of this ever happening. Too many "voters" are invested in paid, federally-mandated days off. Don't forget all states also give their employees all the federal holidays off.
Great idea! Independence Day can include our country's independence and the emancipation of slaves. Memorial Day can include our reverence for those who gave their lives for our country as well as honoring those who served in the military. That should be plenty of federal holidays. So many of these holidays are excuses for government workers to have a paid day off and now that they have moved all but Independence Day to Mondays, they all get three day weekends. Very few of them are observed with any idea of the original intent of the holiday. Besides, I want Memorial Day returned to the original May 30th, as that was my Dad's birthday.
You champion removing Veterans Day? Why do you want to keep the communist holiday of Labor Day? (Yeah, it's a convenient mark of the end of the summer.)
I don't think it requires a Federal holiday. There's is an argument to make the Monday after the Superbowl a Federal holiday. How about we do that in remembrance of America's veterans?
Of course with the schedule expansion of the NFL, I suppose the Monday after the Superbowl will eventually be Presidents day and football fans will get their day off.
It seems to me that in the context of its proclamation, the official name of "Juneteenth National Independence Day" (per Public Law 117-17), and its proximity to the Fourth of July, it is intended to supplant the celebration of the completion of the Declaration of Independence and further the lie that the founding of the United States was intended to safeguard slavery as advanced by The 1619 Project.
Unfortunately Trump can't junk it alone because the GOP caved in 2021 and it was added to the official list of Federal Holidays as referenced above.
There is a similar kind of illiteracy with regard to slavery being played out in Toronto, Canada. In this case the controversy revolves around William Dundas. If I remember correctly Dundas was an adamant English abolitionist in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. His great crime was to propose that the children of slaves to considered freeborn.
His main concern was that the freeing of slaves by fiat, which he favored, would disrupt various economies of the world. His intent was to ease this economic impact. His mistake was to propose this slave-children-are-freeborn proposal publicly. This action has condemned Dundas to the ash heap of history as a great slaver. To virtue signal their condemnation of Dundas the “slaver” the City Council of Toronto, Canda, has voted to rename Yonge-Dundas square Sankofa Square.
Now, I don’t know what or why Sankofa Square is so named, but as I sit on the receiving end of this Great-Canadian-Virtue-Signal, I know Toronto City Council is beyond reproach even though it is light on its knowledge of history.
Although I agree with you that Juneteenth as a federal holiday is a-historical and stupid to boot, you are incorrect that Trump can "junk" it. It was declared a federal holiday by an Act of Congress and signed into law by Biden. Therefore, it cannot be repealed by Trump.
I grew up in Texas and had never heard of "Juneteenth" until I was well past my 40th birthday. Doesn't seem like it was all that important until creepy Joe came along pandering.
I moved to Texas in 1982 while I was 21 years of age. I was told about Juneteenth the first time it rolled around. I was led to believe that everyone knew about it.
I also grew up in Texas, and I was familiar with it from middle school on, so late 1970s.
Well, federal employees used to have 80 hours of paid holiday time, thank you taxpayers. They now have 88 hours of paid holiday time, thank you even more taxpayers. What, you didn't vote for that? Oops.
As for the merits of Juneteenth as a national holiday, I tend to support it, but as I have lived outside the US for well over a decade, I have no idea how it is supported these days. When I was growing up in Texas in the 70s and 80s, it was a date for family picnics in the park, singing "Lift Every Voice and Sing" (a song I love), and the like. I think there were fireworks as well. I was more mindful of it than many white Texans, perhaps, because I went to a historically black high school, but as school was out in June, there were no associated school events, so my experience of the holiday was rather second-hand.
You quote Abraham Lincoln: "My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that."
Yes, that is in line with the 19th-century understanding of the Constitution: Congress had legislative supremacy, as Lincoln himself held, and the powers of the president were strictly limited to those afforded by the Constitution. That was NOT the era of the Imperial Presidency, and it's ahistorical to wonder why if Lincoln were opposed to slavery, he didn't, say, just outlaw it with an executive order like an Obama, Biden, or Trump avant la lettre. Lincoln, as did many presidents before, saw protecting and preserving the Union as the basic task of his position. His statement is similar to, for example, Andrew Jackson's toast during the Nullification Crisis: "Our Federal Union: It must be preserved." (And opposition to emancipation in the border states was very strong indeed--when in 1861-1862 Lincoln urged Delaware, which had only 1800 slaves, to enact compensated emancipation, he was thoroughly rebuffed. http://slavenorth.com/delaware.htm Lincoln's position was "prudential" only in the sense that he knew that as the president, he did not have the power under the contemporary interpretation of the Constitution to touch slavery in any of the states not in rebellion, and the case of Delaware made clear that the border states would be ever-vigilant on slavery's behalf.)
Hard disagree. You said it yourself that it's been celebrated since 1866; it's a perfect day to reflect on slavery and emancipation.
The historical Jesus wasn't born on December 25th; should Trump rescind Christmas and replace it with a day in the spring that is more historically accurate? Of course not. Same goes for Juneteenth.
Frankly, I don't care one way or the other. Either date is fine by me. I suspect that Trump, if he's so inclined to consider the issue (and I don't think that he is), he'll test the political winds to come to a decision. As much as I like Trump, many issues are decided on pragmatism than principle. And that's why he's The President.
It was popular among leftists in the '70s to try to deny Lincoln and the North credit for ending slavery by declaring, "The Civil War had nothing to do with slavery; it was all about states' rights." To which I would respond, "Oh? The states' rights to do what, name their own state flowers?"