In 1776, Thomas Jefferson penned our country’s mission statement, The Declaration of Independence—in which he stated that “we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal”. The American Republic was founded on that novel idea, of equality among all human beings, but I probably don’t have to tell you it’s an ideal we’ve struggled to meet over our history.
One of our country’s greatest sins—some would say our original sin—was slavery. It’s a wrong we’re still trying to right in the modern era, but our most important step away from it came in 1863, when Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation and declared all enslaved persons in the rebellious Confederacy to be free.
But proclaiming freedom was easier than enforcing it, and emancipation moved with the advancing Union Army through the South—and though the Union liberated countless people during the course of the war, by the time it ended, there were still more 250,000 in bondage in the state of Texas, on what was America’s remote frontier. Even after General Lee’s surrender at Appomattox, freedom would not come to Texas until June 19th, 149 years ago on this day, when Major General Gordon Granger landed at Galveston and issued the following order:
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“The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.” |
John, in more ways than I can count, we’re still working to live up to the ideal we laid out for ourselves in the Declaration of Independence. But today, Freedom Day, is a reminder that we have moved closer to that ideal over time. It’s a celebration of progress on our endless quest toward a more perfect Union—one truly dedicated to the proposition that all are created equal. Black, White, or otherwise, we’ll keep working to realize that vision, and today is a powerful reminder that even when that work seems hard, it’s not in vain. We’ve made progress before, and we will continue to do so, just as long as we don’t give up. Happy Juneteenth. Happy Freedom Day. |
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Wesley Harris is a North Carolina native and the only PhD economist in the General Assembly. First elected in 2018, he has been fighting hard for the residents of southern Mecklenburg County and working to make our state the best place in the country to live, work, and start a family. Now, Wesley is running for Treasurer to make an investment in our state's greatest asset, its people. Together, Wesley believes that we can unlock the potential of our people and build opportunity for every North Carolinian.
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Paid for by Wesley Harris for NC Wesley Harris for NC
P.O. Box 77764
Charlotte, NC 28271
United States |
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