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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, When residents of Limestone County gather for their |
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annual observance of Juneteenth near Mexia on June 19, 2015, they |
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will be celebrating the sesquicentennial of the day in 1865 that |
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marked the official end of slavery in the State of Texas; and |
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WHEREAS, On June 19, 1865, two months after the end of the |
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Civil War, Major General Gordon Granger of the Union Army arrived in |
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Galveston and issued a general order informing the people of Texas |
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that all slaves in the state were now free, in accordance with |
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President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation; compliance |
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with the order on the part of slave owners was sometimes slow, but |
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by the end of the year, most of those held in bondage had obtained |
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their freedom; and |
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WHEREAS, In Limestone County, news of emancipation was |
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announced to some 300 slaves from the porch of the Stroud |
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Plantation; before long, African Americans in the area began |
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gathering annually at Comanche Crossing, on the Navasota River, to |
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celebrate the anniversary of Juneteenth, as June 19 had come to be |
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called; in the early years, the featured orator at the festivities |
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was Ralph Long, who had represented Limestone, Navarro, and Hill |
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Counties at the Texas Constitutional Convention of 1868-1869; the |
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Juneteenth celebration at Comanche Crossing grew to attract as many |
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as 20,000 people, and in 1898, the site was set aside by deed for the |
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purpose of the Juneteenth observance; on July 7, 1912, the 19th of |
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June Organization was chartered to administer the site, now known |
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as Booker T. Washington Park; the Juneteenth celebration there is |
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one of the oldest, on-going commemorations in the state; and |
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WHEREAS, Today, 150 years after emancipation was proclaimed |
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in Texas, Juneteenth continues to inspire gatherings that are both |
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joyful and reflective; layered with meaning, these observances pay |
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tribute to all those who endured the rigors of slavery, honor their |
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immeasurable contributions to the development of this state and |
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nation, and recognize the myriad accomplishments of the generations |
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that have followed; the occasion also serves as a powerful summons |
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to the continuing work of building a more just and inclusive |
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society; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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Legislature hereby commemorate the 150th anniversary of the |
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abolition of slavery in Texas and extend to all those taking part in |
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the renowned Juneteenth celebration in Limestone County sincere |
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best wishes for a memorable and meaningful event. |