Tuesday, June 15, 2021

Juneteenth Federal Holiday Coming - The Wrong Day

It looks like Congress is about to enact June 19, known as Juneteenth as a federal holiday to commemorate the end of slavery.  This was the day in 1865 that slaves in Texas were told they were free.  That is all fine and dandy; but as a  historian I would prefer that if we are going to celebrate the end of slavery, that it actually happen on a day that is more significant like the day Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation became effective on January 1, 1863.  Or the day the 13th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified on December 6, 1865,  which officially ended slavery.   

It is bad enough that we are dealing with Critical Race Theory and 1619 Project racist Socialist Marxist revisionist Fake History; but now we are adding a federal holiday on the wrong day.  I guess we all need a day off in June to start the summer; but in most cases kids are out of school on June 19th so no one will be around to signify the day for kids.  What is the point if it is not also a learning experience.  

And, then I suppose we really should close schools for Cinco de Mayo.  And how about holidays for various other groups.  It could get crazy if we go down this road.  There is talk of changing Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day, which as Italian, I would oppose.  They can have another day that may make more sense to them.  Ending slavery was a significant occurrence so a holiday to commemorate it is good; but why not recognize the right day.  Just sayin.   December 6th would be the most logical day since it took the 13th Amendment to the Constitution to actually end slavery by law. 

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