[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 85 (Wednesday, June 18, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1253]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E1253]]


          CELEBRATING THE END OF SLAVERY IN THE UNITED STATES

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. LOUIS STOKES

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 17, 1997

  Mr. STOKES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of House 
Joint Resolution 56, which celebrates the end of slavery in the United 
States. I want to thank Congressmen Elijah Cummings and J.C. Watts for 
bringing this resolution to the House floor today.
  As we begin a national dialog on race, I think it is appropriate that 
we begin with the recognition of the end of slavery. Every year for 
more than 130 years, African-Americans have celebrated the end of 
slavery in a day of freedom known as Juneteenth.
  Two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation 
Proclamation, many of the 200,000 slaves who were in Texas when the 
Civil War began were still among the plantations and farms along the 
coastal plain, many of them around Galveston. Word of the Proclamation 
and Robert E. Lee's surrender were slow in arriving in the Western 
States, so it was not known for some time that the slaves were actually 
free.
  Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger of the Union Army landed at the port of 
Galveston with 1,800 soldiers to take command of the military district 
of Texas. His first action after landing, on June 19, 1865, was to go 
from his headquarters into the street and read general order No. 3, 
which stated:

       The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a 
     Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all 
     slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of 
     personal rights and rights of property between former masters 
     and slaves. * * *

  In many States, former slaves made up a significant portion of the 
population. Naturally, the end of slavery was cause for celebration, so 
beginning in 1866, every June 19th became known as Juneteenth. This 
tradition has remained strong into the 20th century, and I am proud to 
recognize it in the House of Representatives today.
  Mr. Speaker, Juneteenth is a fitting celebration for the memory of 
the countless men and women who were forcibly brought to this country 
and forced to suffer the hardship and cruelty of enslavement. But 
Juneteenth is also a celebration of optimism for the future of an 
American society that recognizes the worth and value of all citizens 
and seeks social, economic, and political equality. I thank my 
colleagues for bringing House Joint Resolution 56 to the House floor 
today, and I strongly urge its passage.

                          ____________________