We are still on dial up. These pictures took about 1 hour to put on here. Anyway... These are pictures from yesterday. We went to a Juneteenth Celebration. Baby Nathan came with us because his mommy is working Saturdays now. There wasn't much going on at the celebration, so we didn't stay long. It was hot anyway :0) The bounce houses that they had for the kids were in the scalding sun. I only let Jaden play on them for a couple of minutes, and I told her to only touch the ground of the bounce house with her socks (because it looked like she would get burned if her skin touched it).The celebration led to a discussion. Now that Jaden will be 4 years old in August, she understands a lot... So, most outings lead to some kind of discussion. I explained the meaning of "slave" and what some of the slaves went through... and why we celebrate June 19th. For thouse of you that are out of the state, or just not up on your history, here's a summarized version of Juneteenth:
Dating back to 1865, it was not until Major General Gordon Granger landed with his Union troops on June 19, in Galveston, Texas that Texans learned for real the Civil War had ended and the enslaved were free. While word may have traveled slowly around the still predominately unsettled portions of our country, this particular news arrived an incredible two and one half years after President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation back in 1863.
Attempts to explain the delay in getting the word to Texas has spawned several versions, one being the military messenger was murdered en route, others being that federal troops purposefully withheld the information in order to prolong the workforce on large plantations and farms.
General Order No. 3, issued by General Granger, however, made no bones about it. Slavery had ended. “The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.”
The anniversary of “Juneteenth” (June 19,1865) soon became an annual celebration in Texas, and as former slaves now created new lives in other parts of the country, they began celebratory traditions in those areas, furthered by their descendents. Today, Juneteenth is celebrated across our nation and quickly spreading beyond, encouraging self-development and respect for all cultures.
Attempts to explain the delay in getting the word to Texas has spawned several versions, one being the military messenger was murdered en route, others being that federal troops purposefully withheld the information in order to prolong the workforce on large plantations and farms.
General Order No. 3, issued by General Granger, however, made no bones about it. Slavery had ended. “The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.”
The anniversary of “Juneteenth” (June 19,1865) soon became an annual celebration in Texas, and as former slaves now created new lives in other parts of the country, they began celebratory traditions in those areas, furthered by their descendents. Today, Juneteenth is celebrated across our nation and quickly spreading beyond, encouraging self-development and respect for all cultures.
No comments:
Post a Comment