Understandably, we view slavery in terms of the brutal conditions it encompassed. But it can also be properly understood through what it lacks: freedom—where people can work, live, and move. Just as darkness is the absence of light, slavery is the absence of freedom. By any measure, Juneteenth, which commemorates the abolition of chattel slavery in the United States, is a great day.
On June 19, 1865, approximately two and a half months after the Civil War, Major General Gordon Granger initiated the final implementation of the Emancipation Proclamation—which President Abraham Lincoln had signed more than two years earlier —Reminding slaves in Galveston, Texas, that they were no longer in bondage. Some slaves in the United States would remain in captivity until the Thirteenth Amendment was ratified in December 1865, and even afterward, which was not to say that their newfound freedom was completely free; they would remain Facing huge obstacles for many years Equality and freedom. Still, Juneteenth represents the turning of the page in one of the most shameful chapters in American history.
It’s the epitome of a cause worth celebrating, no matter what political affiliation someone belongs to. However, this is not entirely without controversy. For example, approximately 43% of Republicans reportedly be opposed to According to a YouGov poll, it is included in the school curriculum compared with 89% of Democrats. While it’s hard to know exactly why, at least part of it may be down to the ever-present culture war breakdown. In a sense, the Republicans still cast themselves as the party of liberals. Slavery again meant the absence of freedom. In theory, understanding the history behind Juneteenth should support rather than discredit any platform that claims to advocate for freedom.
On the other side of the coin, as reasonElizabeth Nolan Brown Overview In 2022, discussions continue around the notion that Juneteenth should essentially be reserved for Black people because it fails to unite Americans. After all, African Americans were the ones who suffered from slavery, which affected families for generations. But to suggest that celebrating abolition is exclusive on the basis of race is to fuel some people’s concerns that this is somehow a partisan or divisive topic. I think these objections exist more in the suburbs. Slavery is bad. Freedom is good.
Opal Lee, the 97-year-old “Juneteenth grandma” who fought for the holiday’s recognition, agrees it’s that simple. “This means freedom for everyone. Not just black people or Texans,” she said. “Everyone has freedom.” When Lee was 12, hundreds of people came to her home in Fort Worth, Texas, smashing windows and furniture, angry that a black family had moved in. June 19th. Got the key Her new house was built on the same land by Habitat for Humanity. It reminds us that these dark times were not that long ago.
Yet even during that period, freedom was considered central to American exceptionalism, even though we clearly fell short of it. But to this day, it survives as an ideal to which this country should aspire. That’s not to say it means the same thing to everyone; people of different faiths have very different ideas about what a free society should look like.
but one thing is freedom cannot Meaning: Slavery. Its death is everyone’s victory.
