Republicans Should Be Celebrating Juneteenth Big Time
June 19th marks one of the most significant milestones in the long struggle to end the abomination of slavery in America. On that date in 1865, Union Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and issued General Order No. 3. This proclamation freed approximately 250,000 enslaved people in the state — more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. While the Civil War had effectively concluded earlier, the news traveled slowly to the westernmost reaches of the Confederacy. Juneteenth thus represents not merely the end of hostilities but the practical realization of freedom for the last large group of Americans held in bondage.
The holiday originated as a distinctly local observance in Texas. Former slaves and their descendants celebrated with music, prayer, barbecues, and appropriate libations. Even under oppressive Democratic governance across much of the South, the tradition endured and spread among Black communities.
As Black Americans migrated northward and westward in search of opportunity, they carried Juneteenth with them. For decades, it remained largely unknown outside the Black communities. It gained broader visibility during the civil rights movement of the 1960s. In 2021, President Biden sign legislation establishing it as an official federal holiday.
Today, Juneteenth stands as yet another glaring example of the Democratic Party’s relentless effort to airbrush the Republican Party out of the history of civil rights. Democrats have long mastered the art of historical revisionism, transforming their own sordid record of slavery, secession, Jim Crow, and segregation into a narrative that paints them as lifelong champions of equality. Meanwhile, they consign the Republican Party — the actual party of emancipation — to the sidelines. It is a politically motivated distortion that relies on the current voting demographics of the Black community. Many assume any celebration of Black progress must align with the modern Democratic Party. Nothing could be further from the truth. This represents not merely a misunderstanding of history but a wholesale hijacking of it.
The greater tragedy lies in the unfortunate acquiescence of the Republican Party itself. Rather than vigorously reclaiming its rightful legacy, the GOP has too often allowed Democrats to monopolize the narrative. This is a colossal strategic and moral error. In an era when Democrats weaponize race for political advantage, Republicans must stop playing defense on a battlefield they once dominated.
Juneteenth offers the perfect opportunity for Republicans to correct the record and celebrate with enthusiasm. The party should organize Juneteenth dinners, parades, and public events across the nation. Local Republican organizations could establish awards honoring the most prominent abolitionists — all staunch Republicans. Think of Frederick Douglass, the escaped slave who became a powerful orator and advisor to Lincoln. Consider Harriet Tubman, the fearless conductor of the Underground Railroad. Add Sojourner Truth, whose “Ain’t I A Woman” speech still resonates. Include William Lloyd Garrison, the fiery publisher of The Liberator, and Harriet Beecher Stowe, whose Uncle Tom’s Cabin galvanized Northern sentiment against slavery. These were not Democrats. They stood with the Republican Party founded in 1854 explicitly to oppose slavery.
Republicans could draw a sharp analogy: celebrating Juneteenth under Democratic branding is like thanking the arsonist for calling the fire department. The Democratic Party was the party of the Confederacy, the Ku Klux Klan, and the poll tax. Republicans passed the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery, the 14th guaranteeing equal protection, and the 15th protecting voting rights. They were the political force behind the passage of the most notable civil rights legislation in the 1960s. They fought for these measures against fierce Democratic opposition. The historical record is as clear as the Emancipation Proclamation itself.
By embracing Juneteenth wholeheartedly, Republicans can educate younger generations, counter the prevailing mythology, and demonstrate that genuine progress on civil rights has always flowed from conservative principles of individual liberty and equal justice under law — not from the collectivist identity politics that dominate today’s Democrat agenda. It is time for the GOP to stop ceding ground and start claiming its well-earned victory lap. Juneteenth belongs to American history and to Republican history. The GOP should celebrate it loudly, proudly, and often. The party that freed the slaves has every reason to mark the day the last of them earned their freedom.
So, there ‘tis.
Ah, Larry still blaming us for 1865. Guess it’s easy to when you were there. At least in your thinking.
But he rarely raises his voice round here with the “coonteenth klan” mouthing off on his own articles. That would be present mind.
Free speech dickhead
Paul goff…. Yes free speech, which I defend, but not the kind of language I admire.
Larry, follow you? Shirley, you jest, but I digest :>) I am sorry you misunderstood. I meant “were there” as in “old man thinking,” there, not you being a racist democrat; that would be silly. We have discussed “old man thinking’ before but my choice of words here might have been better. My fault.
Certainly didn’t mean to indicate that you use racial slurs, I have never seen nor said that. You do ignore them though more than you speak up as your tendency seems to be to ignore. Better yet, get Joe to man up and deny racism as is his right. It’s his business, it’s his right, it’s his choice. Most sites have moderation and policies against such language as is Joe’s right, by our Constitution.
Again, sorry for the misunderstanding.
But “dickhead” is just fucking a skippy for you? Or just in this case you might demure?
Frank Danger…. You have followed me long enough to know that I never use racial insults … do not admire them … and have called them out. As a father who raised a Black daughter, I especially find them offensive. So, Stop your lies and false accusations … and using the Larry Horist of your malignant imagination as a straw man. That is just as wrong and offensive and immoral as the folks you criticize.
Larry, Somehow (surprise) you avoided calling out one of your followers for telling me I’d resurfaced just in time for coonteenth. Do you ever tell the truth or just wallow in the lies and fabrications that you post (I’m sure that imaginary black girl you raised is very proud of you…😝)
Mike f …. My Black daughter is not imaginary… and yes she is proud of me. You making that kind of racist comment makes you a sick whacko. And I have not forgotten your past antisemitic statements.
Actually Paul the racist DunGoff is wrong, again. While broadly protected, there are at least four different specific, narrowly defined classes where racist language is not protected by the first amendment. If he can figure out how to search on google, he can even find it. Paul’s normal racist bullshit would be closer to discriminatory harassment but it would be a stretch.
Joe, on the other hand, as a private business can do with him and racist language as he sees fit. He can just moderate it out of here, no issues, perhaps applause. And if Joe does not care, maybe likes it for some reason, or maybe he’s incapable of recognizing racism, then here we are. It’s a free choice. .
Dunger do you have a problem with nicknames? Like calling Irish people micks? Or Italian people wops ? I happen to be part coon with the DNA to prove it. And I don’t mean raccoon And I don’t rob anyone. Go figure. LMAO!!! So what do you want? Me cancelled?
Paul the racist pig DunGoff: Yes, my Irish side has a problem. My father-in-law from Genoa has a problem. We don’t care what race you are but will rail against your overt racism anytime and anywhere. Cancel you, of course not. That’s just stupid talk. But Joe, by law, and by his rights, and by being a gentleman of decorum, can cancel this racist language any time he wants. It’s his business. The Constitution and law says he can. Or he can stand up and say something. If it was my site, I would establish written standards, rules of the road so to speak, and I would abide and enforce them. You would be warned, then a time out, then banned, if you continue.
Paul, there are no racist role models across the entire globe. Nobody except other loser racist pigs who look up to loser racist leaders. It’s a tribe of the disenfranchised who can’t get what they want out of life so they blame those different and claim superiority based on physical attributes, geography, religion, whatever lie you losers pick that day.
Larry, The only person rewriting history is the Oracle of Boca. Everyone (except yourself) knows that the Republican Party was the Liberal party when it was formed, and the Democrats (at least the southern wing) were the conservatives. Those positions gradually shifted over time as the Republicans embraced big business, and the Democrats slowly embraced workers rights. The last truly progressive Republican was Theodore Roosevelt, the first truly progressive democrat was Franklin Roosevelt. The shift was final when Johnson initiated civil rights for African Americans (yes, with some support from some liberal republicans) and then Nixon’s overtures to the racist Democrats in the south caused them to shift allegiance. Bottom line-don’t expect republicans to embrace Juneteenth-it’s not in your DNA. I understand that you are too out of it to understand this level of information, but what else can we expect from a fool who believes that Trump (and the members of his regime) are making America Great? (How did that war with Iran that you were so delighted that Trump started end up? Recall I called you a fool for that position too. Just another example of how out of it you-and the President you support-are…)
Mike f… Your ignorance of history is astounding. You are one of those folks who should be silent even if people would think you are ignorant rather than speak out an prove it.
Love that one of your supporters was glad I was back-in his words ‘just in time to celebrate coonteenth..’. Wonder which party he identifies with? (Busted Larry-haha…)