Mark Souder: “I rise to commend those in my district who today are celebrating Juneteenth Day, marking the freedom of the last known…”

“I rise to commend those in my district who today are celebrating Juneteenth Day, marking the freedom of the last known slaves on June 19, 1865, almost 22 years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation and 65 days after Lincoln had been assassinated. Gen. Gordon Granger entered Galveston, TX, with 1,800 troops, proclaimed Texas under U.S. Federal authority and declared the 250,000 slaves in Texas free. His remarks to the slaves and slave owners concluded with his reading of the Emancipation Proclamation. Upon hearing the final line of General Granger's reading, the slaves in Galveston immediately began the first Juneteenth celebration in response to their freedom. A story that has been passed down through the generations says that President Lincoln sent a messenger on a slow-stepping mule from Washington with the news which did not reach these States, deep southern States, until 22 years later. This shows that some things never change. Historians have attributed the delay to the slow-moving Washington bureaucracy. Today this holiday is celebrated throughout America, not just in the South. I know that in my district, in addition to celebrations like picnics, parades, and pageants, very much like those going throughout the country, there are 150 community leaders meeting and how their groups work to better people's lives. I rise to congratulate them. We all must work together.”