[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by Ben Franklin

I think you have Congressman and Senators in mind, not the workers.

Congress and the Senate work very hard collecting funds to pay for their next campaign.

Too busy to write the laws they are paid to introduce so they let the companies that have bought them do the writing.

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by tvbound

Because it's so obvious, but they're afraid to just be honest about it?

I think we have enough national holidays.

More days off mean companies will have to hire more people to do work not done on holidays increasing costs for no good reason.

Were you thinking I am thinking this for racist reasons? Sorry my economics degree tells me why this is not a good idea

[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.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by Irishmen

Towns are cancelling July 4th celebrations trading for this new holiday is all we need to know. Erasing history part of cultural revolution ending in millions dead and millions enslaved...

What towns have cancelled July 4th celebrations in order to celebrate Juneteenth?

(google didn't tell me about any)

[GrumpyOldMan]

Originally Posted by Irishmen

Towns are cancelling July 4th celebrations trading for this new holiday is all we need to know. Erasing history part of cultural revolution ending in millions dead and millions enslaved...

Actually, we need to know which towns. Or maybe there aren't any?

[retiredguy123]

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.

To clarify, Easter is not a Federal holiday and Thanksgiving is not a religious holiday.

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

To clarify, Easter is not a Federal holiday and Thanksgiving is not a religious holiday.

And her whole post was a crock

[Rango]

How about a holiday from this “thread”.

[manaboutown]

Poll: Most Americans Are Not Confident Juneteenth Should Be A Federal Holiday

[Ben Franklin]

Originally Posted by manaboutown

Poll: Most Americans Are Not Confident Juneteenth Should Be A Federal Holiday

Actually, the article said 35% for, 25 against, and "at least 40 percent of those surveyed said they weren’t sure whether it should be federally implemented or they were simply [were] unfamiliar with the holiday and its origins."

Let's do some educating. White men became free, after mobs started attacking British owned corporations, and towns, beginning as early as the Boston Tea Party, where mobs of white people attacked several ships, owned by British corporations on taxation issues, and culminated with the The Battle of Yorktown, and then became a free country for white men on 7-4-1776.

Black people were not freed until 2.5 years after the Civil War, in some southern states. Federal troops had to be called to Texas in order to free them, on June 19 1865. The last known lynching of a black man was in 1981, yes, 1981. Juneteenth celebrates their freedom.

What's there to understand?

[manaboutown]

Originally Posted by Ben Franklin

Actually, the article said 35% for, 25 against, and "at least 40 percent of those surveyed said they weren’t sure whether it should be federally implemented or they were simply [were] unfamiliar with the holiday and its origins."

Let's do some educating. White men became free, after mobs started attacking British owned corporations, and towns, beginning as early as the Boston Tea Party, where mobs of white people attacked several ships, owned by British corporations on taxation issues, and culminated with the The Battle of Yorktown, and then became a free country for white men on 7-4-1776.

Black people were not freed until 2.5 years after the Civil War, in some southern states. Federal troops had to be called to Texas in order to free them, on June 19 1865. The last known lynching of a black man was in 1981, yes, 1981. Juneteenth celebrates their freedom.

What's there to understand?

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

Anthony Johnson (colonist - Wikipedia)

[Ben Franklin]

Originally Posted by manaboutown

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

Anthony Johnson (colonist - Wikipedia)

What are you trying to say?

[manaboutown]

Originally Posted by Ben Franklin

Black people were not freed until 2.5 years after the Civil War, in some southern states

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

[karostay]

Bull****

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by Ben Franklin

Actually, the article said 35% for, 25 against, and "at least 40 percent of those surveyed said they weren’t sure whether it should be federally implemented or they were simply [were] unfamiliar with the holiday and its origins."

Let's do some educating. White men became free, after mobs started attacking British owned corporations, and towns, beginning as early as the Boston Tea Party, where mobs of white people attacked several ships, owned by British corporations on taxation issues, and culminated with the The Battle of Yorktown, and then became a free country for white men on 7-4-1776.

Black people were not freed until 2.5 years after the Civil War, in some southern states. Federal troops had to be called to Texas in order to free them, on June 19 1865. The last known lynching of a black man was in 1981, yes, 1981. Juneteenth celebrates their freedom.

What's there to understand?

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?????