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| 3 | 4 | | |
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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, When residents of Limestone County gather for their |
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| 6 | 7 | | annual observance of Juneteenth near Mexia on June 19, 2015, they |
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| 7 | 8 | | will be celebrating the sesquicentennial of the day in 1865 that |
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| 8 | 9 | | marked the official end of slavery in the State of Texas; and |
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| 9 | 10 | | WHEREAS, On June 19, 1865, two months after the end of the |
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| 10 | 11 | | Civil War, Major General Gordon Granger of the Union Army arrived in |
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| 11 | 12 | | Galveston and issued a general order informing the people of Texas |
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| 12 | 13 | | that all slaves in the state were now free, in accordance with |
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| 13 | 14 | | President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation; compliance |
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| 14 | 15 | | with the order on the part of slave owners was sometimes slow, but |
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| 15 | 16 | | by the end of the year, most of those held in bondage had obtained |
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| 16 | 17 | | their freedom; and |
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| 17 | 18 | | WHEREAS, In Limestone County, news of emancipation was |
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| 18 | 19 | | announced to some 300 slaves from the porch of the Stroud |
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| 19 | 20 | | Plantation; before long, African Americans in the area began |
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| 20 | 21 | | gathering annually at Comanche Crossing, on the Navasota River, to |
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| 21 | 22 | | celebrate the anniversary of Juneteenth, as June 19 had come to be |
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| 22 | 23 | | called; in the early years, the featured orator at the festivities |
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| 23 | 24 | | was Ralph Long, who had represented Limestone, Navarro, and Hill |
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| 24 | 25 | | Counties at the Texas Constitutional Convention of 1868-1869; the |
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| 25 | 26 | | Juneteenth celebration at Comanche Crossing grew to attract as many |
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| 26 | 27 | | as 20,000 people, and in 1898, the site was set aside by deed for the |
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| 27 | 28 | | purpose of the Juneteenth observance; on July 7, 1912, the 19th of |
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| 28 | 29 | | June Organization was chartered to administer the site, now known |
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| 29 | 30 | | as Booker T. Washington Park; the Juneteenth celebration there is |
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| 30 | 31 | | one of the oldest, on-going commemorations in the state; and |
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| 31 | 32 | | WHEREAS, Today, 150 years after emancipation was proclaimed |
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| 32 | 33 | | in Texas, Juneteenth continues to inspire gatherings that are both |
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| 33 | 34 | | joyful and reflective; layered with meaning, these observances pay |
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| 34 | 35 | | tribute to all those who endured the rigors of slavery, honor their |
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| 35 | 36 | | immeasurable contributions to the development of this state and |
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| 36 | 37 | | nation, and recognize the myriad accomplishments of the generations |
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| 37 | 38 | | that have followed; the occasion also serves as a powerful summons |
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| 38 | 39 | | to the continuing work of building a more just and inclusive |
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| 39 | 40 | | society; now, therefore, be it |
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| 40 | 41 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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| 41 | 42 | | Legislature hereby commemorate the 150th anniversary of the |
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| 42 | 43 | | abolition of slavery in Texas and extend to all those taking part in |
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| 43 | 44 | | the renowned Juneteenth celebration in Limestone County sincere |
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| 44 | 45 | | best wishes for a memorable and meaningful event. |
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