89R9251 TBO-D
By: Dutton H.C.R. No. 38
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, On June 19, 1865, Union Major General Gordon Granger
arrived in Galveston with federal troops to provide military
support for Reconstruction efforts and to enforce President Abraham
Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation; that same day, General
Granger read publicly his General Order No. 3, which proclaimed
that all slaves were undeniably free from that date onward and that
there would be "an absolute equality of rights and rights of
property between former masters and slaves"; and
WHEREAS, The proclamation sought to break the physical chains
that bound slaves to their masters, but it could not sufficiently
address the mental shackles that prevented many former slaveowners
from truly accepting the freedom of former slaves; over time, the
racist ideology engendered by former slaveowners has remained
pervasive in American society; and
WHEREAS, Each year, the State of Texas observes Confederate
Heroes Day on January 19 to commemorate the lives of Confederate
President Jefferson Davis and General Robert E. Lee as well as
Confederate soldiers who died during the Civil War; opponents of
the holiday have spoken out about the need to preserve history
without glorifying individuals who fought to keep slaves in
bondage; and
WHEREAS, Eliminating Confederate Heroes Day and creating
Confederate Freedom Day would symbolize the state's commitment to
the values of liberty and equality, and the new holiday would help
to unite Texans in the fight against institutional racism and
discrimination; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 89th Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby express support for designating January 19 as Confederate
Freedom Day.