| 1 | 1 | | 85S12431 KSM-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Collier H.R. No. 381 |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 6 | 6 | | WHEREAS, For more than 150 years, the observance of |
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| 7 | 7 | | Juneteenth on June 19 has provided an opportunity to celebrate the |
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| 8 | 8 | | fundamental principles of liberty and equality; and |
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| 9 | 9 | | WHEREAS, Although President Lincoln delivered the |
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| 10 | 10 | | Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, freedom came gradually and at |
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| 11 | 11 | | different times to various states, particularly those in the |
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| 12 | 12 | | southwest region of the country; it was on June 19, 1865, that |
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| 13 | 13 | | General Gordon Granger arrived with his troops at Galveston and |
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| 14 | 14 | | issued General Order Number 3, which stated "The people of Texas are |
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| 15 | 15 | | informed that, in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive |
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| 16 | 16 | | of the United States, all slaves are free"; the long-delayed |
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| 17 | 17 | | tidings traveled throughout the state to reach approximately |
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| 18 | 18 | | 250,000 Texans who had been held in bondage; and |
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| 19 | 19 | | WHEREAS, Large celebrations on June 19 began the following |
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| 20 | 20 | | year, and early on, they typically included a prayer service, |
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| 21 | 21 | | inspirational speakers, a reading of the Emancipation |
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| 22 | 22 | | Proclamation, and such festive elements as barbecue, games, rodeos, |
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| 23 | 23 | | and dances; and |
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| 24 | 24 | | WHEREAS, In 1980, Texas became the first state to recognize |
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| 25 | 25 | | Juneteenth as an official holiday; today, nearly all 50 states and |
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| 26 | 26 | | the District of Columbia observe some form of a Juneteenth |
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| 27 | 27 | | Independence Day, and the festivities have spread to other |
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| 28 | 28 | | countries as well; and |
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| 29 | 29 | | WHEREAS, The observance of Juneteenth provides a welcome |
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| 30 | 30 | | opportunity to mark the end of slavery in America while paying |
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| 31 | 31 | | homage to the myriad achievements and immeasurable fortitude of the |
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| 32 | 32 | | African American community; now, therefore, be it |
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| 33 | 33 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
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| 34 | 34 | | Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby respectfully urge the |
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| 35 | 35 | | Congress of the United States to declare Juneteenth a national |
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| 36 | 36 | | holiday; and, be it further |
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| 37 | 37 | | RESOLVED, That the chief clerk forward official copies of |
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| 38 | 38 | | this resolution to the president of the United States, to the |
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| 39 | 39 | | president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of |
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| 40 | 40 | | Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the |
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| 41 | 41 | | members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that |
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| 42 | 42 | | this resolution be entered into the Congressional Record as a |
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| 43 | 43 | | memorial to the Congress of the United States of America. |
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