[gdennis317]

Originally Posted by DAVES

Jealousy perhaps? I for one am tired of paying for it. Juneteeth? Fair we could have a holiday for every race, creed religion and there would be no time to work or do anything.
I with no choice pay every quarter.

Has to do with the end of hundreds of years of Slavery in a Country where “ all men are created equal”, not for just an ethnic group.

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by golfing eagles

And all that is fine. Slavery of all types was an abomination. My understanding was than 6/19 was the day that slaves in specifically Galveston, Texas were informed that they were free. Also fine.

My question is whether this event should rise to the level of a national holiday?

Is it as important, in the scheme of history of ALL Americans as 7/4/1776??? Is it as important as Memorial Day, honoring those who died for America (including a very large number of white and some black men that died to free slaves). Is it as important as honoring ALL veterans. Is it as important as Washington and Lincoln? (which by the way were combined to one holiday about 45-50 years ago to keep the number of federal holidays the same after they instituted MLK day)

How about we create a national holiday to celebrate the day that an Irish indentured servant in colonial America was informed his 7 year contract was up and he was free. How about a day to celebrate Japanese-Americans being informed they no long had to stay in internment camps?

I'm sorry, but I just don't see it. I think (my opinion only) that national holidays should celebrate a person or event of great significance to all Americans, not just 12% of the population. After all, 10% of Americans play golf, so where is that national holiday?????

Very well said.

[Bogie Shooter]

Some posts are great examples of whataboutisms.

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by blueash

Yes of course the objection is that this is about Black citizens and celebrates their end of centuries of slavery. Nothing for for the KKK to celebrate there. And the comment on this thread that THEY already have a holiday for MLK only makes it too clear what the objection really is about.

How about all those Christian holidays? How about if we are not going to favor groups we stop favoring that one? Easter, Xmas, Thanksgiving all religious holidays. If you want to understand how the early Americans understood the separation of church and state, look no further than the US Post office and how it handled the question of Sunday deliveries.

" In 1828, the Kentucky Senator Richard M. Johnson, chairman of the Senate Committee on the Post Office and Post Roads and a devout Baptist, declared any federal attempt to give preference to the Christian Sabbath to be unconstitutional. The line between church and state when it came to Sunday mail delivery, he argued, "cannot be too strongly drawn."

I admit I had never heard of Juneteenth until recently. I had never heard of the Tulsa massacre or the similar one here in Central Florida until the last few years. Funny how we didn't learn about so much of the real history of America growing up. Maybe as we learn more about how it really happened we will find things worth celebrating, like Juneteenth that are not all about WASP events.

WE? I've known about both of these forever...

Maybe YOU should get out more...

And yes, of course anyone complaining about another Federal Holiday is "racist"...

[Ben Franklin]

Originally Posted by manaboutown

There were free black people living in the United States, including Southern states, prior to the Civil War. In fact the American Revolution for which we celebrate Independence Day freed blacks, Amerindians and whites from British rule.

The Civil War ended slavery in the South but not all blacks living in the South were slaves.

The Free Black Population | African American History and Culture

"Dred Scott v. Sandford, 60 U.S. 393 (1857), was a landmark decision of the US Supreme Court in which the Court held that the US Constitution was not meant to include American citizenship for black people, regardless of whether they were enslaved or free, and so the rights and privileges that the Constitution confers upon American citizens could not apply to them."

Sure, there were some free blacks, but they couldn't be citizens, and in the south, they were only counted as 3/5ths of a human being for Representation purposes, giving the south more power.

I believe government can only exist, morally, if all people can vote, since people give government the right to exist. It's a shame they never made Susan B Anthony a national holiday, although Florida recognizes it as one.

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by Ben Franklin

Sure, there were some free blacks, but they couldn't be citizens, and in the south, they were only counted as 3/5ths of a human being for Representation purposes, giving the south more power.

No, that was put in by the Northern States to diminish the South's "population" and power...

[kcrazorbackfan]

Another Federal holiday for me! 👍👍

[manaboutown]

Originally Posted by Ben Franklin

"Dred Scott v. Sandford, 60 U.S. 393 (1857), was a landmark decision of the US Supreme Court in which the Court held that the US Constitution was not meant to include American citizenship for black people, regardless of whether they were enslaved or free, and so the rights and privileges that the Constitution confers upon American citizens could not apply to them."

Sure, there were some free blacks, but they couldn't be citizens, and in the south, they were only counted as 3/5ths of a human being for Representation purposes, giving the south more power.

I believe government can only exist, morally, if all people can vote, since people give government the right to exist. It's a shame they never made Susan B Anthony a national holiday, although Florida recognizes it as one.

"During the 1787 Philadelphia convention a compromise was proposed between northern states which only wanted to count free blacks in congressional apportionment (ignoring slave populations), and slave states which wanted full counting of the slave population. The compromise counted slave populations on the ratio of three-fifths, while free blacks were not subject to the compromise and counted as one full citizen for representation.[17] Due to this compromise Southern states could count three-fifths of their slave populations toward the state populations for purposes of Congressional apportionment and the electoral college. This additional counting of the slave population resulted in those states having political power in excess of the white voting population. The South dominated the national government and the presidency for years. Congress adopted legislation that favored slaveholders, such as permitting slavery in territories as the nation began to expand to the West. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 was strengthened by the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, part of the Compromise of 1850, requiring even the governments and residents of free states to enforce the capture and return of fugitive slaves. Famous fugitives such as Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth gained the support of white abolitionists to purchase their freedom, to avoid being captured and returned to the South and slavery.[15]:84–85 In 1857, the ruling of Dred Scott v. Sandford effectively denied citizenship to black people of all statuses.[15]:85"

From: Free Negro - Wikipedia

"This Supreme Court decision attempted to settle the legal status of slaves in free territories to avert a civil war, but it provoked one instead. Dred Scott, who was born a slave in Missouri, traveled with his master to the free territory of Illinois. As a result, Scott later sued his master for freedom, which the lower courts usually granted. However, when the case reached the U.S. Supreme Court, it ruled that Scott would remain a slave because as such he was not a citizen and could not legally sue in the federal courts. Moreover, in the words of Chief Justice Roger Taney, black people free or slave could never become U. S. citizens and they “had no rights which the white man was bound to respect.” The dissenting justices pointed out that in some states people of color were already considered citizens when the Constitution was ratified In 1868, the Fourteenth Amendment overturned the Dred Scott decision by granting citizenship to all those born in the United States, regardless of color."

From: Dred Scott v. Sanford | Equality and the 14th Amendment | Constitution USA | PBS

[EdFNJ]

Originally Posted by golfing eagles

My understanding was than 6/19 was the day that slaves in specifically Galveston, Texas were informed that they were free. Also fine.

Close but not quite correct. June 19th was when the LAST SLAVES WHO HADN'T BEEN PREVIOUSLY INFORMED were informed they were free. It was 2 years AFTER the official proclamation. (I know you like to use large fonts to make a point. ) Likely the internet and email hadn't yet been invented so it took 2 years to get the info..

LINK TO COMMENT BELOW
Juneteenth is celebrated on June 19. On that day in 1865, union soldiers brought news to the last slaves in Galveston, Texas that they were free. However, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation two years prior to Juneteenth.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by DAVES

Jealousy perhaps? I for one am tired of paying for it. Juneteeth? Fair we could have a holiday for every race, creed religion and there would be no time to work or do anything.
I with no choice pay every quarter.

Hey why not. We already have Christmas, which is exclusively a christian holiday. And don't forget lots of people normally work on Sundays, except Easter is a christian holiday and many employees get the day off anyway. Good Friday - another Christian holiday that people get paid for. And let us always bear in mind that ALL Sundays are considered holidays, in the work world. The christian day of rest. Even the post office works on Saturdays.

So if you want to complain about a holiday to celebrate the end to slavery in the USA, and categorize it as another "specialty" paid day off, how about we just eliminate christmas, good friday, easter sunday, ALL sundays. Force people to work rotating schedules so everyone is stuck working on a sunday, all government offices open 7 days a week.

We could go that route if you really want to. I've been against mandatory christmas closings for decades.

[Topspinmo]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

Every Federal office I ever "worked" in was so overstaffed that all the essential work was done by about 20 percent of the employees. The other 80 percent either did no work or just got in the way. Adding another holiday will have no affect on productivity or cost.

I disagree, I worked for federal government for 40 years and few months, it’s around 30% that has to carry the 70% due to nepotism.

[Topspinmo]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

Hey why not. We already have Christmas, which is exclusively a christian holiday. And don't forget lots of people normally work on Sundays, except Easter is a christian holiday and many employees get the day off anyway. Good Friday - another Christian holiday that people get paid for. And let us always bear in mind that ALL Sundays are considered holidays, in the work world. The christian day of rest. Even the post office works on Saturdays.

So if you want to complain about a holiday to celebrate the end to slavery in the USA, and categorize it as another "specialty" paid day off, how about we just eliminate christmas, good friday, easter sunday, ALL sundays. Force people to work rotating schedules so everyone is stuck working on a sunday, all government offices open 7 days a week.

We could go that route if you really want to. I've been against mandatory christmas closings for decades.

Good Friday not paid federal holiday. Unless you work for federal government you probably don’t get most those day off let alone paid for it.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by Topspinmo

Good Friday not paid federal holiday. Unless you work for federal government you probably don’t get most those day off let alone paid for it.

Correct. Good Friday is not a Federal holiday. The only Federal Christian holiday is Christmas, which is also celebrated by many non-Christians who celebrate Christmas because of the huge commercial benefit, and, of course, Santa Claus comes on that day.

[Taltarzac725]

Channel 9 presents Race and Reform in Central Florida town hall: How to watch – WFTV

Watched this tonight and found it interesting.

I hope they make it accessible to others.

[Topspinmo]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

Hey why not. We already have Christmas, which is exclusively a christian holiday. And don't forget lots of people normally work on Sundays, except Easter is a christian holiday and many employees get the day off anyway. Good Friday - another Christian holiday that people get paid for. And let us always bear in mind that ALL Sundays are considered holidays, in the work world. The christian day of rest. Even the post office works on Saturdays.

So if you want to complain about a holiday to celebrate the end to slavery in the USA, and categorize it as another "specialty" paid day off, how about we just eliminate christmas, good friday, easter sunday, ALL sundays. Force people to work rotating schedules so everyone is stuck working on a sunday, all government offices open 7 days a week.

We could go that route if you really want to. I've been against mandatory christmas closings for decades.

Sorry, the federal government employees has very strong union Which fully support certain party to get union benefits ( you know kinda like teachers union) and that will never happen.