Why is Juneteenth recognized as America’s ‚National Independence Day‘? We already have one of those.
Happy Juneteenth! Today we as Americans commemorate the issuing of General Order No. 3 by Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger in 1865, enforcing the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas and thus marking an official end to slavery across the continental U.S. following the conclusion of the Civil War.
Since 1980, Juneteenth has been recognized as a state holiday in Texas. But more and more states have officially recognized Juneteenth in recent years; despite most Americans not knowing what it is, powerful institutions have tried to mainstream it.
In a 2021 response to the racial animosity from the previous summer of rage, President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law after it passed both chambers of Congress with “overwhelming support.”
But recognizing the end of black enslavement is not what the federal recognition of Juneteenth is actually about.
