Juneteenth

June19th is always a special day in Texas. It was on this day in 1865 that word reached Texas that the Civil War was over. (This happened when Union ships docked in Galveston.) Yes, strange as it is, it took two months for word to spread, only 141 years ago. There were not a lot of telegraph wires west of the Mississippi (and what there were had been destroyed by the war). I'm sure some travelers had told the tale, but when Yankee ships dock in a Confederate port and unload occupation troops, that kind of brings reality to the rumor. General Granger's Order #3 officially ended slavery in Texas, and freed the last slaves in the US.


The day is celebrated in Texas mostly by those of African descent, since it means the end of slavery, which is of course something worth celebrating. It's a perfectly good excuse for family parties, picnics, and there is always some kind of celebration on this day in a municiple park of just about every city in Texas. Other Texans more or less ignore the day (or treat it as some kind of embarrassment), since it simply means "we lost the war, oh well..."


The part of Texas I live in was Yankee territory during the Civil War (the only non-Indians up here were some cavalry patrols and a couple of buffalo hunter camps). Which doesn't mean there aren't a lot of Confederation flags around the place (including the flag of my high school until it was changed in the 70s).


Regardless of who lost the war, or why it was fought, or who won and who lost, the end of slavery in the United States is a Good Thing(tm), and everyone should join Texans in celebrating it.