=====

The Untold History of Juneteenth
by Timothy Barton

Commentary

Proponents of critical race theory are peddling the falsehood that America’s history is rife with inherent racism, all the way back to the first settlers’ arrival on our shores. This movement has gained so much steam that even a sitting U.S. senator, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), claimed that the “United States didn’t inherit slavery from anybody. We created it.”

This statement is not only erroneous, but it also shows how mainstream the lies about our nation’s history have become.

Just as revisionist history is wrong to lie about America’s past, its approach to the history behind Juneteenth is equally flawed when compared to historical fact. Far from being a stain on America’s past, Juneteenth was historically recognized as a significant victory in helping fulfill the promise of the Declaration of Independence.

Most Americans—including members of Congress who voted to establish this new national holiday—don’t know the full story behind Juneteenth, including why it has been long celebrated in the State of Texas.

On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger landed in Galveston, Texas, and announced the official enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation, two and a half years after it was originally issued by President Abraham Lincoln.

At the time of Granger’s fulfillment of the Emancipation Proclamation, it was estimated that there were as many as 400,000 slaves in the state awaiting their long-deserved freedom, since many slaves had been sent to Texas from the other rebelling states as the Union armies successfully advanced. The announcement ended a terrible chapter in Texas history, and marked the beginning of a new era.

Texas, being the furthest Confederate territory away from the Union, did not enforce the Emancipation Proclamation until occupied by the Union Army. Battles in Texas even continued after Lee’s surrender at the Appomattox Courthouse. The last land battle was a minor Confederate victory at the Battle of Palmito Ranch. Finally, on May 26, the Confederate General in Texas surrendered on Galveston Island.

When Granger arrived in Galveston on June 19, he immediately issued an order declaring the complete and final emancipation of all the slaves. His order declared, “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights.”

Continues - site has paywall w/ some free articles each month:

https://www.theepochtimes.com/mkt_morningbrief/the-untold-history-of-juneteenth_3863090.html

*************************************************************