Happy Juneteenth: Celebrating Freedom
In addition to the history, it is important for parents to remind their children that freedom comes from God and is the natural state of mankind. When freedom is taken—as in the case of slavery—or when it is hindered—as in the case of segregation—people of honor and courage must rise up and fight against injustice.
Freedom is a precious and a fragile thing. As parents, one of our important responsibilities is to help our children to understand where our freedoms come from and how they are maintained. One important and significant date on the freedom calendar is June 19th, 1865. Now, we celebrate this as a federal holiday—so happy Juneteenth!
On that day, Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas, with news that the war was over and the slaves were now free. Then, General Granger read to the gathered crowd General Order Number 3:
“…in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves…”
Soon June 19th was celebrated as the day when freedom was finally extended to all the people in America – and it received the celebratory name “Juneteenth”!
Read the full article on the Focus on the Family Website
Related articles:
Racial Reconciliation and the Tuskegee Legacy
Rosa Parks and the Struggle for Freedom
Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs: Harry T. Burleigh and the Birth of Freedom
‘The Best of Enemies’: Hope for Racial Reconciliation
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