I think “Juneteenth” is a white American holiday. We should all remember that the slaves in America did not free themselves, all the posters with an upraised black fist notwithstanding. White people freed them at the cost of a lot of blood and treasure. Is it racist to point that out.
It’s been a Texas thing for over 100 years. Not sure when it spread beyond the Red River.
I know I had kin folk that fought on the Union side. Where’s my payback?
“White people freed them at the cost of a lot of blood and treasure.”
If the South was fighting to preserve slavery, who was fighting to free the slaves?
“White people freed them at the cost of a lot of blood and treasure.”
I don’t want to put too fine a point on this because it seems you and I think along the same lines. Still, it is important to test the popular belief that white northerners freed (the slaves) at the cost of a lot of blood and treasure.
By one telling, the blood and treasure was not spent to free the slaves; it was done to preserve the brotherhood of the Union and the economic and political advantages provided by the Union to the North. I’m talking about money.
On the other hand, if the blood and treasure really was spent in order to “free the slaves” then the war was totally unnecessary.
The founding fathers included in the U.S. Constitution the clearly defined amendment process to peacefully abolish slavery. War was not needed to amend the constitution.
Constitutional slavery was - well, constitutional - and overthrowing constitutional slavery by the use of violence was overthrowing the U.S. Constitution.
If Lincoln took up arms and levied war against the states to overthrow constitutional slavery, he would be guilty of treason.
Maybe he is.
I say it's racist to ignore that fact.