J.C. Watts: “When General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, on this day 136 years ago, slaves were given notice that they…”

“When General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, on this day 136 years ago, slaves were given notice that they were free. Even though President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation had the effect of law on the first day of 1863, his executive order was not in force to even communicate it in some parts of our Nation. The celebrations on the evening of June 19, 1865, were filled with singing and feasting. After so much injustice, the last vestige of slavery had been eradicated and the United States was truly a land where, as our Declaration of Independence declared, all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Juneteenth is a day of celebration and of learning. We should rejoice in the great land that we all call America and give thanks for our freedom, and know that there were days when that freedom was not enjoyed by all of her citizens. The resolution we are considering today recognizes Juneteenth and encourages Americans to learn from our past so we may better prepare for our future.”