Happy Freedom Day!

[sanantone]

Happy Emancipation Day!

[dfrecore]

I wish we could celebrate the actual day the Emancipation Proclamation was signed instead of this date (for those of us not from Texas, it's not quite the same).

[sanantone]

I wish we could celebrate the actual day the Emancipation Proclamation was signed instead of this date (for those of us not from Texas, it's not quite the same).

My ancestors didn't move to Texas until after the Civil War, so they were freed before those enslaved in Texas. However, I like the idea of celebrating the date when the last state was notified.

[AnalysisParalysis]

I wish we could celebrate the actual day the Emancipation Proclamation was signed instead of this date (for those of us not from Texas, it's not quite the same).

My ancestors didn't move to Texas until after the Civil War, so they were freed before those enslaved in Texas. However, I like the idea of celebrating the date when the last state was notified.

Along the same lines, should we celebrate Independence Day on a different day instead of July 4th, when the Declaration of Independence was signed?  Many states didn't get the news until mid-late July, with South Carolina being the last known state to find out on August 2, 1776.

[bjcheung77]

History is my worst subject, I can't and hate remembering dates or times, the only dates that come are something that ends or rhymes, like Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492 or the war of 1812 as it actually has the year on it. If someone asked me the dates or times of the Korean War or Vietnam War or any recent war, I would be like what?!

[sanantone]

I wish we could celebrate the actual day the Emancipation Proclamation was signed instead of this date (for those of us not from Texas, it's not quite the same).

My ancestors didn't move to Texas until after the Civil War, so they were freed before those enslaved in Texas. However, I like the idea of celebrating the date when the last state was notified.

Along the same lines, should we celebrate Independence Day on a different day instead of July 4th, when the Declaration of Independence was signed?  Many states didn't get the news until mid-late July, with South Carolina being the last known state to find out on August 2, 1776.

It's kind of too late to change the date now. But, you're comparing apples and oranges. Slaves in Texas were informed 2.5 years later and were still enslaved up until that point. They weren't informed a few weeks later. Are you descended from American slaves?

[AnalysisParalysis]

I wish we could celebrate the actual day the Emancipation Proclamation was signed instead of this date (for those of us not from Texas, it's not quite the same).

My ancestors didn't move to Texas until after the Civil War, so they were freed before those enslaved in Texas. However, I like the idea of celebrating the date when the last state was notified.

Along the same lines, should we celebrate Independence Day on a different day instead of July 4th, when the Declaration of Independence was signed?  Many states didn't get the news until mid-late July, with South Carolina being the last known state to find out on August 2, 1776.

It's kind of too late to change the date now. But, you're comparing apples and oranges. Slaves in Texas were informed 2.5 years later and were still enslaved up until that point. They weren't informed a few weeks later. Are you descended from American slaves?

Make no mistake, I understand what you are saying and I agree that June 19, 1865 was a big day in US history and should be celebrated.  I was just highlighting that historical dates and events have more variation than people realize.  

Also, my descendants' sufferings are not relevant here and I would rather not bring that depressing topic to this forum.  Thanks for asking though.

[sanantone]

I wish we could celebrate the actual day the Emancipation Proclamation was signed instead of this date (for those of us not from Texas, it's not quite the same).

My ancestors didn't move to Texas until after the Civil War, so they were freed before those enslaved in Texas. However, I like the idea of celebrating the date when the last state was notified.

Along the same lines, should we celebrate Independence Day on a different day instead of July 4th, when the Declaration of Independence was signed?  Many states didn't get the news until mid-late July, with South Carolina being the last known state to find out on August 2, 1776.

It's kind of too late to change the date now. But, you're comparing apples and oranges. Slaves in Texas were informed 2.5 years later and were still enslaved up until that point. They weren't informed a few weeks later. Are you descended from American slaves?

Make no mistake, I understand what you are saying and I agree that June 19, 1865 was a big day in US history and should be celebrated.  I was just highlighting that historical dates and events have more variation than people realize.  

Also, my descendants' sufferings are not relevant here and I would rather not bring that depressing topic to this forum.  Thanks for asking though.

Opal Lee fought hard to have Juneteenth recognized. I haven't heard of anyone who campaigned as hard to have Emancipation Day recognized as an official holiday. Opal Lee won by default. Emancipation Day is now Juneteenth instead of the date the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.

[ss20ts]

History is my worst subject, I can't and hate remembering dates or times, the only dates that come are something that ends or rhymes, like Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492 or the war of 1812 as it actually has the year on it.  If someone asked me the dates or times of the Korean War or Vietnam War or any recent war, I would be like what?!

I hated trying to remember dates in high school. I could tell you about specific events, but ask me a date and I will look at you like a deer in headlights. The other confusing thing is that things like wars started and ended at different times for different countries so that always tripped me up. I'm still trying to figure out how it took 2.5 years to free everyone from slavery. That's just mind boggling to me. Like what was going on in Texas? Were they too busy sitting on the porch sipping mint juleps to let those folks know they were now free? Surely, a newspaper was printed at least once a year in that area of Texas. Or were they in such denial that they couldn't face freeing those people?

[sanantone]

History is my worst subject, I can't and hate remembering dates or times, the only dates that come are something that ends or rhymes, like Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492 or the war of 1812 as it actually has the year on it.  If someone asked me the dates or times of the Korean War or Vietnam War or any recent war, I would be like what?!

I hated trying to remember dates in high school. I could tell you about specific events, but ask me a date and I will look at you like a deer in headlights. The other confusing thing is that things like wars started and ended at different times for different countries so that always tripped me up. I'm still trying to figure out how it took 2.5 years to free everyone from slavery. That's just mind boggling to me. Like what was going on in Texas? Were they too busy sitting on the porch sipping mint juleps to let those folks know they were now free? Surely, a newspaper was printed at least once a year in that area of Texas. Or were they in such denial that they couldn't face freeing those people?

The Civil War was happening. Union soldiers didn't get to Texas until after the war ended, and the Confederates weren't going to abide by the Emancipation Proclamation.