Juneteenth, the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration, marks the end of slavery in the United States. The day is celebrated on June 19. The name Juneteenth is derived from two words, ‘June’ and ‘Nineteenth’ which developed the word ‘Juneteenth’.
How did Juneteenth get started?
On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation with an objective to preserve the Union. The objective of the proclamation was misunderstood and people thought that it was issued to eliminate slavery explicitly. Later, in August 1862, President Lincoln wrote an open letter to Horace Greeley, the editor of the New York Tribune describing his intentions behind the proclamation.
Lincoln in the letter, wrote: “My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or 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. What I do about Slavery and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save this Union”.
As its impact, the President’s proclamation declared “that all persons held as slaves” within the rebellious states “are, and henceforward shall be free.”
Until the December 1865 ratification of the 13th Amendment, slavery didn’t legally end in all states, June 19, which became known as Juneteenth was the day when the last American slaves were freed, which resulted in massive celebrations.
How Juneteenth is celebrated?
The barbecue pit is often established as the center of attention at Juneteenth celebrations. Rodeos, fishing, barbecuing, and baseball are just a few of the typical Juneteenth activities which take place during the celebration. People also use to dress up vividly.
This year George Floyd murder case has led to an extreme outrage among the people across the globe. The boss of Twitter and Square, Jack Dorsey has said that both firms will honor Juneteenth as a company holiday in America.
Both Twitter and Square are making #Juneteenth (June 19th) a company holiday in the US, forevermore. A day for celebration, education, and connection.https://t.co/xmR3fWMiRs
— jack (@jack) June 9, 2020
Dorsey also tweeted that he was making a $3m (£2.4m) donation to former NFL player Colin Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Camp to “advance the liberation and well-being” of minority communities.
