Juneteenth is an American holiday commemorating the declaration of slavery in the state of Texas on June 19, 1865, and more generally the release of enslaved African-American residents throughout the Confederate states (formerly southern states) in the United States.
The name of the holiday is a combination of the words "June" and "Nineteen" (June and nineteen).
Slavery existed in the United States for several centuries, from the British colonial period, in the early 17th century until 1865, when the Civil War ended. Slavery was a legal institution where people of African descent were sold as goods to slave owners. Slaves were considered lawful. As property and deprived of most of the rights vested in free people.They were subject to the authority of their owners who bought them and had to do whatever they were told.
The slaves were brought to America from African countries, where they were abducted or sold by their families. Subsequent generations born in the United States were forced into slave status on the day they were born.
The end of slavery at the end of the American Civil War granted citizenship and legal and political rights to those of black skin color equal to those of white skin color.
The Juneteenth is celebrated mainly by reading the works of well-known African-American writers such as Ralph Ellison and Mia Angelo, singing traditional songs such as "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and "Lift Every Voice and Sing", public readings of the Emancipation Statement, the Declaration The presidency signed by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, which declared slaves in the United States free.
Also celebrating on this day in the US are rodeos, street fairs, food stalls, family reunions, park parties, historical reconstructions of the period or the Miss Juneteenth beauty pageant.
Recommended movies about the period of slavery in the United States
"12 Years a Slave" directed by Steve McQueen, "The help" by Tate Taylor, "Django Unchained" by Quentin Tarantino, "Lincoln" and "Amistad" by Steven Spielberg, "The 13th" by Ava DuVernay.
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| A painting from 1690 in Virginia, USA, of a white family that has a black maid |
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| Sale of slaves in 1841, photo from the film "12 Years of Slavery" |