Juneteenth. Thoughts... So, another summer holiday, this one to celebrate the end of slavery. Really, it is still deep in our culture. Think about this, if you look up Juneteenth you learn it is nearing two centuries old, yet it has only been celebrated for a couple of years as a federal holiday.
I never heard of it growing up in the 1950's and 60's. But I had learned about the emancipation proclamation. Later I learned who had not been included. This is what we do in America... Instead of fixing the inequities that remain. We declare a holiday.
If we really wanted to have a Holiday to commemorate emancipation, which was a tool of the war, and a fraud in that it only applied to the southern states, and not the border states like Missouri, Kentucky, Delaware, and Maryland, the states that had not joined the confederacy... Why not provide every black person in America who wants it, free college, housing debt relief, and for the homeless-housing... Compensation for the evils of slavery, which remain deep in American society.
But of course, its America, so instead of doing much you have a new Holiday that Biden, the empathy fraud, can blather about. Did he tell anyone that it had not covered Delaware...his state, the credit card state, the financial slavery state
AI: provided this.
Task: Discuss the inequities in the emancipation proclamation, in that it was a tool of war, and did not apply to any blacks it could have reached immediately, in the border states where it did not apply.
Copilot
Certainly! Let’s delve into the complexities and inequities surrounding the Emancipation Proclamation, which was both a significant milestone and a reflection of its time.
War Context:
The Emancipation Proclamation was issued during the American Civil War (1861–1865). As a wartime measure, it aimed to weaken the Confederacy by disrupting its labor force and economy.
President Lincoln’s primary goal was to preserve the Union, and he initially hesitated to make abolition a central war aim. The proclamation evolved as the war progressed.
Limited Scope:
The proclamation applied only to states in rebellion (i.e., the Confederate states) and not to the loyal border states (such as Maryland, Delaware, Kentucky, and Missouri).
In these border states, slavery remained legal. Lincoln feared that immediate abolition there would alienate their support for the Union.
Thus, the proclamation did not free enslaved people in these border states, perpetuating inequity.
Gradual Implementation:
The proclamation set a future date (January 1, 1863) for freedom to take effect. It allowed time for the Union army to advance and for enslaved people to escape to Union lines.
This gradual approach meant that enslaved individuals in Confederate-held areas had to wait for Union forces to arrive before they could gain their freedom.
Immediate emancipation was not universally achieved, leading to disparities in timing and access.
Selective Freedom:
The proclamation exempted certain areas under Union control (e.g., parts of Louisiana and Virginia) where slavery continued.
It also excluded specific counties in Confederate states that had surrendered to Union forces.
These exclusions further highlight the uneven impact of the proclamation.
Incomplete Liberation:
Even after January 1, 1863, enforcement varied. Some slaveholders resisted, and it took time for news to reach all enslaved people.
The proclamation did not guarantee full equality; it focused on freedom but did not address citizenship, voting rights, or economic empowerment.
The struggle for civil rights and true equity continued long after the proclamation.
In summary, while the Emancipation Proclamation was a pivotal step toward ending slavery, its limitations and uneven implementation underscore the complexities of achieving true equity during a tumultuous period in American history.