Free African Americans Before the Civil War (National Institute • FamilySearch)

Anthony Johnson (colonist - Wikipedia)

What are you trying to say?

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

Bull****

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?????

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.

Very well said.

Some posts are great examples of whataboutisms.

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"... :rolleyes:

"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.

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

Another Federal holiday for me! 👍👍

"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

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. :D ) 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Just to be clear, not all federal employees are eligible to be in a union. My wife is a retired federal worker, she worked for the U.S. Courts and there were no union workers. The courthouse security officers are union, but they are not federal employees. They operate under a private contract for the US Marshall’s Service.

I’d also like to add that she worked her butt off and deserves every benefit she receives in her retirement.

The United States Army rode in and freed the slaves, we have a wonderful military. Lets celebrate.

Where do people get their ridiculous information from?

Great .

1% also pay 35% of ALL income taxes . Top 5% - 50% . Don't complain..

It is so sad to see so many mean spirited posts in this thread that show no appreciation of American history.

Thank You for some Truth.

Marin Luther King deserves a holiday. He was a gentleman and a strong leader . We combined Washington and Lincoln and threw in all the other presidents. Juneteenth is a significant date for all of America. Now if we kick Columbus to the curb it would be great. Who needs to celebrate a murderous explorer. Christmas is religious no right being a paid holiday. And do we really need an entire month devoted to Black History? Time to join hands and have every month devoted to All Americans . I am all for keeping history alive. Celebrating the accomplishments of each groups of Americans. The struggles the growth. This country was built on the backs and hard labor of People of All Races, Religion, Male, Female and other identified but not acknowledged humans. Does not matter we all bleed red!
Let's honor the history, cut the political BS and work together. Our veterans still cannot get medical care, Children go hungry and are abused, animals are abandoned, crime is often against those within the same community . People look around and try to be kind to others. We together are the future if the USA!

America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.

Abraham Lincoln

I told my children to get a government job. Tons of paid holidays, slick leave, regular leave and you don't have to work very hard. Easy living.

Basically, it appears to be four weeks vacation for most (five for those there a very long time), 11 holidays (Christmas, Thanksgiving, things a majority of people have, plus two or three many do not get like President's day) and if taken, up to 13 sick days.

There is usually incentive to save sick days, and worse treatment at work to those suspected of using them unnecessarily. I think 4 weeks vacation, 11 holidays and just over 2 weeks sick if needed is fair. I know the government wastes money but I do not see it here. These should be for skilled positions, however. Unskilled work does not generally carry benefits, and the government should not pay beyond what private industry does. (Yes...I know...government contractors get more than private but this thread is not about that.)

Something I do not understand...Juneteenth is so-called because it is the Saturday in June with a number in the teens. Will it not remain a Saturday? Therefore, wouldn't the majority (not all) of federal workers have been off anyway? Or...do they get Friday since the holiday is on a weekend?

Not to worry they will take Friday or Monday. Won't pass up an extra paid day off provided by all non government workers.

They always get a day off for a holiday that occurs on a weekend. It is either a Friday or a Monday.

13 days of sick leave per year may not sound like a lot, but it can be accululated over the years. So, if you are a supervisor of long term employees, many of the employees will have the option of using an entire year of accumulated sick leave and be absent from the job any time they want. They can even use it to care for another person they know. There are many Federal employees in their 60s, 70s, and 80s, who almost never show up for work. A "for profit" business could never operate with those rules.

Government is out of control - which is why talking about government or politics is often forbidden and banned!
Politicians don’t like being questioned or second guessed by their subjects!

I bet next they will change the work week from 40 hours to 32 hours so everyone will have three day weekends.

Seems like an appropriate holiday to me…and a long time coming! Great!

We also need to make the National Election Day a holiday, for obvious reasons too.

You should be more concerned about the do nothing Republican side of the Senate. Did you ever look at how many days they actually "work" - disgusting!

Government work is soul-sucking. To survive you must put your free thinking mind into a spider hole until, hopefully, when you retire, you can recreate your life. Few do.

Totally agree. Thank you

Lots of bull. Another day off for the incompetent government and the hugely incompetent post office.