Steven Lippmann, M.D.

Juneteenth

What about Juneteenth? This holiday commemorates June 19, 1865, one month after the end of the war between the United States of America and the Confederate States of America. On that day, in Galveston, Texas, US Major General Gordon Granger sailed into the harbor and later delivered a message to Texans about freeing their enslaved people. Military presence gave some enforcement implications to his statement. It was a momentous occasion and a step in recognizing the evils of slavery in this country; it reminds us about the systemic racism throughout our history and up into the present time. Nevertheless, Juneteenth was aimed at correcting the wrongs of enslavement and adding some measures of justice to our society.

The war between the Union, northern states, and the Confederate, southern states, had ended in May 1865, with a US victory.  Granger’s pronouncement essentially messaged the intent of an earlier executive order by the President Abraham Lincoln (his Proclamation # 19), better known as the Emancipation Proclamation. What was said?

Emancipation Proclamation

The Emancipation Proclamation was issued on January 1, 1863, during the war after the battle of Antietam.  President Lincoln proclaimed that all persons living in states currently in rebellion against the United States are henceforth and forever free. Wow, that sounds great; however, that was still during a continued state of warfare, and a US President had no enforcement power over Confederate State policies. It would be like Ukraine’s President Zelensky making the proclamation that Russia should cease its military actions – something neither of them could enforce. The Emancipation Proclamation then did not free enslaved populations.

Freeing persons was NOT ordered to states within the U.S.A., since they were not in rebellion against the government. There was some slavery in northern states. Legally, there also were four (4) “slave states” that never seceded from the Union; they were recognized for and practiced slavery, but remained in the U.S.A. – Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, and Missouri. Freedom was not ordered throughout these states that officially stayed in the U.S.A. It appears that Lincoln’s initial goal was more about preserving the union, winning the war, and keeping those four “slave states” in and mostly loyal to the Union. Though bold and enlightened, it was less about ending slavery. The timing of the proclamation was said also to forestall European countries from supporting the Confederacy’s war effort during the conflict, especially because England and France had financial ties with the Confederate States. Note that by then slavery was already being outlawed thoughtout many of the world’s countries.

Another sad feature of the Emancipation Proclamation and the Juneteenth follow-up announcement was that there was not enough preparation for what the newly freed persons could immediately expect. After all, the day before that, they were property, did not even own their own clothes, had no home, money, or a place to go, and often families were distantly separated. Some people thought that newly freed individuals would simply stay on farms and plantations and begin working, employed as wage earners. Many of them did have marketable skills like blacksmithing, farming, domestic care, and animal husbandry, etc. Yet, without clear plans, what were these folks to do?

Amendments   # 13, 14, and 15 to US Constitution

Finally, there began some further steps of legal remediation through the US Constitution. The Amendments # 13, # 14, and # 15 began this process, albeit rather slowly.

The 13^th Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified late in 1865 and essentially codified that neither slavery nor involuntary servitude could exist within this country. That was a major move forward.

Not immediately thereafter, but by 1868, the 14^th Amendment was ratified. It indicated that people born or naturalized here are US citizens. Very importantly, it negated the US Constitution’s First Article counting those enslaved as 3/5 of a person. With the passage of the 14^th Amendment, they now finally counted as a whole person; yet, many Native American Indians were still legally excluded from citizenship. It was a positive trend, but suboptimal in not applying to everybody. Newly freed individuals had to wait a couple of years before being allowed to become citizens, and then, even as US “citizens,” none had the right to vote.

Ratified finally in 1870, the 15^th Amendment said that the right to vote cannot be denied or abridged. Another corrective direction, but freed people had had to wait for citizenship and then a few more years before even men got the right to vote. We still have much to do before fully reaching this right. Of course, women in this country were only granted the right to vote in 1920, by the 19^th Amendment.

Comment

Texas made Juneteenth a state holiday in 1980. As a kid, I remember my mom and others celebrating this June 19, 1865 event during the 1940 – 1950s. It is just my personal impression that perhaps the United States recognized Juneteenth as a national holiday in 2021 out of feeling embarrassed following the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, etc. (?).

Yes, we have made some social progress and there are many people endorsing such advancements.  Racism, nevertheless, remains an active and powerful force today; we still have a long way to go to achieve justice. We often hear the term, ”slavery was abolished,” but that is not correct. It still exists in various forms, via coercion and/or exploitation (and sometimes even much worse methods). So, it is important to know the true history and dispel the feel-good myths that we hear. Then, we can better teach our children and be more hopeful for the future.

Steven Lippmann, M.D. is Emeritus Professor, University of Louisville School of Medicine.