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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, On June 19, 1865, Union Major General Gordon Granger |
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arrived in Galveston with federal troops to provide military |
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support for Reconstruction efforts and to enforce President Abraham |
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Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation; that same day, General |
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Granger read publicly his General Order No. 3, which proclaimed |
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that all slaves were undeniably free from that date onward and that |
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there would be "an absolute equality of rights and rights of |
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property between former masters and slaves"; and |
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WHEREAS, The proclamation sought to break the physical chains |
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that bound slaves to their masters, but it could not sufficiently |
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address the mental shackles that prevented many former slaveowners |
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from truly accepting the freedom of former slaves; over time, the |
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racist ideology engendered by former slaveowners has remained |
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pervasive in American society; and |
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WHEREAS, Each year, the State of Texas observes Confederate |
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Heroes Day on January 19 to commemorate the lives of Confederate |
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President Jefferson Davis and General Robert E. Lee as well as |
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Confederate soldiers who died during the Civil War; opponents of |
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the holiday have spoken out about the need to preserve history |
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without glorifying individuals who fought to keep slaves in |
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bondage; and |
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WHEREAS, Eliminating Confederate Heroes Day and creating |
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Confederate Freedom Day would symbolize the state's commitment to |
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the values of liberty and equality, and the new holiday would help |
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to unite Texans in the fight against institutional racism and |
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discrimination; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 89th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby express support for designating January 19 as Confederate |
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Freedom Day. |