Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when union troops entered Galveston, Texas announcing the end of the Civil War and the freedom of the slaves. But, what does this holiday mean in our times? Delmarva Public Media's Don Rush talks with assistant history professor Arlisha Norwood at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore about the meaning of this year's celebration. The full interview can be heard on this Friday's Delmarva Today at noon on WSDL and WESM and on our website delmarvapublicmedia.org.
Although President Abraham Lincoln issued the proclamation more than two years earlier, slavery persisted in parts of the Confederacy until federal troops could enforce the order. “It cannot happen with the stroke of a pen,” said Arlisha Norwood, a history professor at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in Princess Anne. “It can not happen by nothing else other than enforcement and people with guns.”
For the thousands of enslaved people in Texas who learned of their freedom that day, the announcement marked the beginning of a new chapter. Norwood said many were “extremely excited” because they understood “this is a new life.”
Yet freedom came with limitations. The order read by Union officials instructed formerly enslaved people to remain where they were and continue working. At the same time, Southern states faced labor shortages as plantation owners could no longer rely on enslaved labor.
The transition reshaped the region’s economy. Formerly enslaved African Americans began negotiating wages and working conditions, while landowners turned to labor contracts and, eventually, the sharecropping system that would dominate much of the postwar South.
Today, Juneteenth serves as both a celebration of emancipation and a reminder of the difficult path from slavery to freedom. “Juneteenth is an American holiday,” Norwood said, emphasizing that slavery, emancipation and the Civil War remain central chapters in the nation’s history including that here on the shore. "We are always going to be under attack about what American history is and what people should celebrate" said Norwood, showcasing that in a time of political division, upholding the facts of American History are of great importance.
This brief summary is taken from an excerpt of June 19th's Delmarva Today, hosted by Don Rush.
