What Is Juneteenth? (What Was?)

Description: What Is Juneteenth? (What Was?) Product Description Product Description Discover more about Juneteenth, the important holiday that celebrates the end of chattel slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, a group of enslaved men, women, and children in Texas gathered around a Union solder and listened as he read the most remarkable words they would ever hear. They were no longer enslaved: they were free. The inhumane practice of forced labor with no pay was now illegal in all of the United States. This news was cause for celebration, so the group of people jumped in excitement, danced, and wept tears of joy. They did not know it at the time, but their joyous celebration of freedom would become a holiday--Juneteenth--that is observed each year by more and more Americans. Author Kirsti Jewel shares stories from Juneteenth celebrations, both past and present, and chronicles the history that led to the creation of this joyous 80 black-and-white illustrations and an engaging 16-page photo insert, readers will be excited to read this latest addition to Who HQ! About the Author Kirsti Jewel is an educator and writer from New York City. This is her first Who HQ book. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. What Is Juneteenth? June 19, 1865 There’d been whispers throughout Galveston, Texas, that a paper had been signed. A paper granting freedom to all enslaved people across the Southern states. The people of Texas were the last to hear the news that had changed all of the United States. It was 1865, and Black people had suffered under slavery for more than two hundred years. Most Northern states had outlawed slavery by this time. However, in the South, it was legal and white people with money continued to use the forced, unpaid labor of Black people to grow even richer. Although there are several different stories about what actually happened on June 19, 1865, the one that is most often told says that everyone in town—-Black people and the white people who’d enslaved them—-were told to gather at Ashton Villa. It had been the headquarters for the Southern army during the Civil War—-a war fought for four long years between the Northern and Southern states. Some Black people at Ashton Villa had hopes that the war might be over. For some time, the North seemed to be winning. Perhaps that explained why there’d been sightings of the US Colored Troops (USCT)—-a unit of Black soldiers fighting with the Union army—-marching through Galveston. If the North had won the war, what would this mean for Southern states—-and, most of all, for Black people? Now Major General Gordon Granger walked onto the balcony overlooking the crowd. He read a handwritten note. Its official name was General Order No. 3, which summarized the famous document known as the Emancipation Proclamation. (To emancipate people means to set them free.) He said, “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States [President Abraham Lincoln], all slaves are free.” Free! As soon as Granger said the word free, Black people cheered and shouted in jubilee—-they were full of joy! Because with one sentence, Black people learned they were no longer the property of their white enslavers. The proclamation recognized them as free human beings. People began to dance. Some exclaimed, “Hallelujah!” Others hugged each other and cried. Freedom was a dream that many thought would never come true. What they didn’t know was that the Emancipation Proclamation had been signed on January 1, 1863! It took almost two and a half years for the people of Galveston to find out the news that changed the future of the United States. Why did it take so long for enslaved people in Texas to find out about the Emancipation Proclamation as well as the Union victory two months earlier? Location was one reason. Among the Confederate states, Texas was farthest west, away from the action of the war. So as Northern troops began winni Shipping Shipping for this item is free in the 48 continental United States. We do not offer shipping to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, US Territories, APO & FPO. After your order has been shipped, you will receive an e-mail with the name of the carrier and the tracking number. Returns We permit returns if you are not satisfied with your purchase. Your return request must be initiated within 30 days of the purchase date. To initiate a return, please contact us through the eBay Message Center. You will receive an RMA number to ensure proper handling of the return. We do not provide refunds for a return WITHOUT an RMA number. You will be refunded in full, minus the shipping and handling expenses incurred at time of purchase. Payment We accept payments through PayPal. You may use a major credit card via PayPal. For all “Buy It Now” items, immediate payment is required.

Price: 9.49 USD

Location: Denver, Colorado

End Time: 2024-12-29T17:04:36.000Z

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