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On Juneteenth

On Juneteenth

  • Downloads：4223
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-05-26 18:31:10
  • Update Date：2025-09-13
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Annette Gordon-Reed
  • ISBN：B08ZBDPZMP
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Summary

Interweaving American history， dramatic family chronicle， and searing episodes of memoir， Annette Gordon-Reed， the descendant of enslaved people brought to Texas in the 1850s， recounts the origins of Juneteenth and explores the legacies of the holiday that remain with us。

From the earliest presence of black people in Texas—in the 1500s， well before enslaved Africans arrived in Jamestown—to the day in Galveston on June 19， 1865， when General Gordon Granger announced the end of slavery， Gordon-Reed’s insightful and inspiring essays present the saga of a “frontier” peopled by Native Americans， Anglos， Tejanos， and Blacks that became a slaveholder’s republic。 Reworking the “Alamo” framework， Gordon-Reed shows that the slave-and race-based economy not only defined this fractious era of Texas independence， but precipitated the Mexican-American War and the resulting Civil War。 A commemoration of Juneteenth and the fraught legacies of slavery that still persist， On Juneteenth is stark reminder that the fight for equality is ongoing。

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Reviews

Matthew ，

A wonderful， compelling， and deeply intelligent mixture of history， essay， and memoir。 Gordon-Reed uses her own life experiences and those of her family as a lens to examine Texas history and the origins and legacy of the Juneteenth holiday。 Highly recommended。

Steve ，

As Gordon-Reed brings to our attention， some good things came out of the COVID pandemic。 Like "slighter"， introspective books like this。 No， it is not a big， thick， scholarly tome like her book on Jefferson and the Hemings。 Nor is it a blow-by-blow history of Juneteenth （although， of course， we get the general story）。 What it is is a short memoir， with some history， and a nice touch of histography， mixed in。And I did love her Coda on why she loves Texas - and why love of a place can， and should， As Gordon-Reed brings to our attention， some good things came out of the COVID pandemic。 Like "slighter"， introspective books like this。 No， it is not a big， thick， scholarly tome like her book on Jefferson and the Hemings。 Nor is it a blow-by-blow history of Juneteenth （although， of course， we get the general story）。 What it is is a short memoir， with some history， and a nice touch of histography， mixed in。And I did love her Coda on why she loves Texas - and why love of a place can， and should， include criticism of it。 There are a few References and Further Reading suggestions at the tail-end of the book， listed for each chapter。Oh yes， the last job I had， for the first time in 30 years on the road， included Texas。 And East Texas was quite a revelation to me。 As was the area around Lufkin， which was a huge timbered area。 It is more like Louisiana than "Texas"！ Midland-Odessa it is not！ Although it also is an oil rich basin。Her "remote" Conroe is now pretty much a suburb of Houston。 Much of the history in this memoir is centered around events from her childhood in Conroe， and her early interest in History。 It bears watching the response when "Forget the Alamo"， by trio of writers， comes out later this year。 Their emphasis， like Gordon-Reed's here， is that the Alamo， and other Texas creation myths， are not all about White Males。 A short （small format， 140 pp） read， but well worth the couple of evenings it will take you go read it。 Informative， both as a personal memoir， and as a sharing of history （Texas and America - White， Black， NAI， Tejano， Mexican， Spanish） and the theory and practice of History。 My thanks to my local PL for a copy to read。。。。 。。。more

Lily Werlinich ，

3。5/4。 Super interesting itty bitty book of essays。 Docked half a star because her writing style didn’t suit me — had to restart many sentences to remember how they began

Paul Duke ，

Great little book （140 pages） consisting of a few essays on the subject of Black life in Texas， in particular delving into the history of Texas as taught in public schools there -- explaining what has been emphasized and what has been ignored over the past 150 years。 I highly recommend this to anyone who has had any experience in Texas。

Shannon Hunt ，

Whew。。。those 4th grade and 7th grade Texas History classes I went through missed a few things。 Shocking！ Definitely want to listen to this again on a less busy week to internalize the history more deeply or read more thorough histories。

Tom Allen ，

Gorden-Reed is an enormously talented historian and writer。 She has provided a brief but enlightening overview of the history of Texas and the struggles of a people once enslaved in that state。 How do you come to love the place and the country that has over a 400 year history of holding your forbears in servitude。 It’s complicated。 Read the book。

Suzonna McFarlain ，

Excellent Read Love this historical account of Texas， that includes pieces of my hometown。 Though it’s tough to read the horrors of the past and events that are still happening， we must read， learn， and strive toward change。

Marc-Antoine Serou ，

I was a little disappointed by the fact very little in the book is actually about Juneteenth and its history。 Still a good book about Texas， the author and her family。

Evelyn ，

In a series of essays mixing autobiography and family history and narratives， with the history and treatment of African Americans and other people of color， I。e， Native Americans and Mexicans， by whites in Texas， the noted historian attempts to deal with and come to terms with the ongoing racial reckoning in the United States。 By being critical she is not only expressing her love for her country， the United States， and her place of birth， Texas， but striving to make them better places in which t In a series of essays mixing autobiography and family history and narratives， with the history and treatment of African Americans and other people of color， I。e， Native Americans and Mexicans， by whites in Texas， the noted historian attempts to deal with and come to terms with the ongoing racial reckoning in the United States。 By being critical she is not only expressing her love for her country， the United States， and her place of birth， Texas， but striving to make them better places in which to live for those who come after her。 。。。more

Teresa ，

Interesting history and memoir。 3。8

Marcos ，

Professor Reed's thoughtful and reflective essay on interpolating both the historical foundation of Juneteenth， to her musings of living in Texas today is an excellent text for those who wish to know more about the significant of Juneteenth。 Ms。 Reed writes about her own experiences on violent and physical abuse from a racist bully， and juxtaposing it with a defiant Texas， since being the last Confederate state to win a major Civil War Battle， of how Texas uses violence by any means necessary to Professor Reed's thoughtful and reflective essay on interpolating both the historical foundation of Juneteenth， to her musings of living in Texas today is an excellent text for those who wish to know more about the significant of Juneteenth。 Ms。 Reed writes about her own experiences on violent and physical abuse from a racist bully， and juxtaposing it with a defiant Texas， since being the last Confederate state to win a major Civil War Battle， of how Texas uses violence by any means necessary to preserve its last stand of superiority。 Ms Reed writes， "the choice for slavery was deliberate， and that reality is hard to square with a desire to present a pristine and heroic origin story without the settlement of Texas" （Reed 27）。 June 19， 1865 is when Major General Gordon Granger announced the end of slavery， which is the official day of emancipation from African American slaves， "there is no way to do that without suggesting that the lives of African Americans and their descendants in Texas， did not， and do not matter" （Reed 27） 。。。more

Marion ，

A small collection of elegant essays about Texas and its long history of racism。

Jeremy Cox ，

This book provides a fascinating look at the history of black folks in Texas。 Too often our histories focus on the powerful and the majority。 But slaves contributed greatly to the construction， culture， and evolution of our society in these places， often time in ways that are more important than the powerful。 It is imperative that we incorporate more perspective of all in our tellings of history。

Kennedy ，

"About the difficulties of Texas: Love does not require taking an uncritical stance toward the object of one's affections。 In truth， it often requires the opposite。 We can't be of real service to the hopes we have for places--and people， ourselves included--without a clear-eyed asseessment of their （and our） strengths and weaknesses。 That often demands a willingness to be critical， sometimes deeply so。 How that is done matters， of course。 Striking the right balance can be exceedingly hard。" "About the difficulties of Texas: Love does not require taking an uncritical stance toward the object of one's affections。 In truth， it often requires the opposite。 We can't be of real service to the hopes we have for places--and people， ourselves included--without a clear-eyed asseessment of their （and our） strengths and weaknesses。 That often demands a willingness to be critical， sometimes deeply so。 How that is done matters， of course。 Striking the right balance can be exceedingly hard。" 。。。more

Kifflie ，

I learned a lot about Texas history and the history of people of color in that part of the United States。 I appreciated knowing more about the story of Juneteenth。 This is a short book， but there is a terrific story here to discover。

Katie Brennan ，

This was excellent！ Three stars only because The Hemingses of Monticello changed my life and is my epitome of a five star， so here we are。

Bruce Katz ，

3。5 Don't take this rating as my being critical of the work。 It's very good and very informative， but it is a minor work by an esteemed historian -- a collection of essays， really。 The basic question that frames the book is， how she， both as a Black woman and as a historian， can claim that she loves Texas given its racist history。 Her answer takes her in a couple of directions: exploring the real history of Texas and how that history is -- and has been -- taught （her discussion of the Alamo is i 3。5 Don't take this rating as my being critical of the work。 It's very good and very informative， but it is a minor work by an esteemed historian -- a collection of essays， really。 The basic question that frames the book is， how she， both as a Black woman and as a historian， can claim that she loves Texas given its racist history。 Her answer takes her in a couple of directions: exploring the real history of Texas and how that history is -- and has been -- taught （her discussion of the Alamo is itself worth the price of admission）; illuminating the history of African Americans in Texas from before it was a republic， through its admission into the United States， up to today; sharing her own experiences growing up Black in Texas; and providing insight into the roles history and narrative play in how Texans see their state。I enjoyed listening to it， learned a lot， and felt that I had spent in the company of a very smart， knowledgeable， candid， and gracious individual。 It was definitely time well spent。 I have no reservations at all about recommending the book。Update: Regarding my comment about the Alamo -- I hadn't been aware that Jim Bowie was a slave trader; or that James Travis was in "Texas" （it didn't exist yet） because he had abandoned his wife and children （and a lot of debt） in Alabama and had a warrant out for his arrest; or that Santa Ana wanted to abolish slavery， a position that generated strong opposition among White American settlers; or that Texas barred free Blacks from entering the state; and that all of this has been ignored in the Texas history curriculum。 I bring it up now in this postscript because as I write this there is an effort by the Texas state legislature to gloss over the state's racist past。 This is from the May 5 issue of The Texas Tribune: Mirroring moves by other red-state legislatures across the country， Texas Republicans are attempting to reach into classrooms and limit what public school students are taught about the nation's historical subjugation of people of color。Sometimes it's nearly impossible to feel any sense of optimism at all for the country's future。 。。。more

Carla （literary。infatuation） ，

it was quite an interesting and immersive read。 This is the history of Texas， from Republic to date through the personal history of Gordon-Reed’s family。 The fact that the states’ history and her experience growing up Black during segregation makes it a very captivating read。 I enjoyed it and recommend it to dispel common misunderstandings about Texas that I myself had before moving here some years ago。

David Dickman ，

Good book on a little known facet of American History when the last place in the United States was officially set free from slavery in Galveston Texas。 The book mainly focuses on Texas and its history with slavery。 Most people don't know that part of Texas fighting for its freedom from Mexico had to do with the Texans desire to enslave blacks to serve their needs which Mexico had banned。 When Texas did get their freedom from Mexico they enshrined in their constitution slavery and would not allow Good book on a little known facet of American History when the last place in the United States was officially set free from slavery in Galveston Texas。 The book mainly focuses on Texas and its history with slavery。 Most people don't know that part of Texas fighting for its freedom from Mexico had to do with the Texans desire to enslave blacks to serve their needs which Mexico had banned。 When Texas did get their freedom from Mexico they enshrined in their constitution slavery and would not allow free blacks to come into their state。 。。。more

Heidi ，

I never thought I'd learn so much from a book that is less than 150 pages！ I didn't really know what Juneteenth was and this was a concise， meaningful explanation of the history of Juneteenth and what it means for our country。 I never thought I'd learn so much from a book that is less than 150 pages！ I didn't really know what Juneteenth was and this was a concise， meaningful explanation of the history of Juneteenth and what it means for our country。 。。。more

Melanie ，

Good background and history of Juneteenth。 Refreshing to see the subject given scholarly representation。 This book is short but detailed and interesting to read。

Liam ，

I loved this book: where personal history meets intercontinental history。 If someone is looking for a book that is only about Juneteenth and its history， this is not that book。 Gordon-Reed weaves strands of history together to create a tapestry of Texas history that underlies her own experiences as a young Black woman growing up in Texas。 As someone working on a historical novel set in Galveston， I was glad to see figures like Norris Wright Cuney and George Ruby get acknowledged in a major publi I loved this book: where personal history meets intercontinental history。 If someone is looking for a book that is only about Juneteenth and its history， this is not that book。 Gordon-Reed weaves strands of history together to create a tapestry of Texas history that underlies her own experiences as a young Black woman growing up in Texas。 As someone working on a historical novel set in Galveston， I was glad to see figures like Norris Wright Cuney and George Ruby get acknowledged in a major publication that is likely to be read more widely。 They are fascinating figures in Texas （and American） history and deserve to be better known。 。。。more

James Bender ，

Wonderful memoir about growing up black in Texas

Trevor Seigler ，

Juneteenth sprang to public attention last year when former president Trump tried to hold a rally in Tulsa on that date。 Seen by many as a calculated slap in the face of Black Americans on Trump's part （Juneteenth was the day when， on June 19， 1865， the order to free slaves was read aloud in Galveston， Texas， thus bringing the process begun by the Emancipation Proclamation to its conclusion; Tulsa was the scene of a devastating orchestrated attack on the thriving Black business district there by Juneteenth sprang to public attention last year when former president Trump tried to hold a rally in Tulsa on that date。 Seen by many as a calculated slap in the face of Black Americans on Trump's part （Juneteenth was the day when， on June 19， 1865， the order to free slaves was read aloud in Galveston， Texas， thus bringing the process begun by the Emancipation Proclamation to its conclusion; Tulsa was the scene of a devastating orchestrated attack on the thriving Black business district there by white residents resentful of such economic success on the Black populations' part， in 1921）。 The rally didn't happen， but a lot of white people were left wondering what exactly Juneteenth was。 It had long been a holiday in Black America， but a lot of white people were clueless about its meaning how exactly it became a thing。Annette Gordon-Reed's short book "On Juneteenth" not only strives to answer that question， but to show the ways in which Texas was a harbinger of and litmus test of America's continuing struggle with how to define itself in terms of how it treats Black people and other marginalized communities。 Fair to say that Texas， once the largest state in the union in terms of size， is often the place where a lot of what America thinks about itself plays out。 Gordon-Reed， a native Texan， uses the premise of discussing the events of June 19， 1865， to show how the myth of Texas as "wild west" is just that; there's more than a little civilization in Texas that doesn't involve cattle drives or bandits shooting each other in the street。 Texas came into its own after white settlers decided to to resist Mexican efforts to end slavery or make it more difficult for slaveowners to bring their human property over the border from the United States （as Texas was part of the Mexican nation at the time， and had previously been Spanish before Mexico gained its independence）。 The Texas Revolution， best remembered for the last stand at the Alamo， was fought for less-than-noble reasons on the part of many participants （a notion which shouldn't be surprising to anyone familiar with actual history， and not the crap in textbooks）。 Gordon-Reed， who became a small part of the Civil Rights Movement herself when her parents sent her to a formerly all-white elementary school in an effort to test Texas' unwillingness to abide by "Brown Vs。 Board of Education，" draws from her own family history to render the store of Black Texans as something more than an enslavement narrative。 The book ultimately is as much about her family as it is about her state and its complicated history regarding race。 The essays here can be read as parts of a whole or on their own， and each highlights the ways in which Texas stands in for the rest of the country in aspects like the suppression of Indigenous peoples or the ways in which Black people weren't expected to be able to speak beyond a crude， stereotypical dialect that showed lack of education （whites would be incredulous if a Black person could speak "proper English，" because they didn't think Black people had the capacity to understand complicated thought）。 This short book is a very good way to talk about a lot of things， not just the topic of Juneteenth。 。。。more

Jenny Lawson ，

A tiny collection of essays that made me rethink much of what I learned in Texas History classes。 （Also， do other States require a full year of State history or is that just Texas？）

Michael Schafer ，

A look at Juneteenth （June 19） from the perspective of an historian and a Texan。

Katie ，

Gordon-Reed is a very effective writer and it's a pleasure to read her work。 It's been awhile since I've read a book like this: On Juneteenth is a history book that both conveys historical facts and examines the study of history， who writes it， etc。 The memoir interwoven with facts and analysis makes this a much more compelling read。 It's also a quick read， so I'd recommend it for anyone who likes Texas， history， autobiography， or any combination of the three。 Gordon-Reed is a very effective writer and it's a pleasure to read her work。 It's been awhile since I've read a book like this: On Juneteenth is a history book that both conveys historical facts and examines the study of history， who writes it， etc。 The memoir interwoven with facts and analysis makes this a much more compelling read。 It's also a quick read， so I'd recommend it for anyone who likes Texas， history， autobiography， or any combination of the three。 。。。more

Nicholas Brown ，

Listened on audio courtesy of the Libro FM ALC program for librarians。 The title is a bit of a marketing ploy， imho。 The book is a collection of the author’s reflections about growing up in Texas and race in America， with some commentary about Juneteenth’s origin。 Definitely not the sole focus of the book。 Worth a read。

Karen ，

I really enjoyed this book: a human， welcoming voice; concise; by esteemed historian Annette Gordon-Reed。 Reed interweaves her own experience growing up in Texas with Texas history， so we get nuanced history interpreted through lived experience。 I began to think more about my lived experience teaching in Idaho against the larger history of higher education in idaho。

Kathleen ，

Gordon-Reed is a proud Texan！ But that does not mean that she applauds Texas’ treatment of people of color， particularly in the years before Maj。 Gen。 Gordon Granger announced the end of legalized slavery in Texas on June 19， 1865。 In a series of short essays， she points out that Texas IS unique。 “No other state brings together so many disparate and defining characteristics all in one—a state that shares a border with a foreign nation， a state with a long history of disputes between Europeans an Gordon-Reed is a proud Texan！ But that does not mean that she applauds Texas’ treatment of people of color， particularly in the years before Maj。 Gen。 Gordon Granger announced the end of legalized slavery in Texas on June 19， 1865。 In a series of short essays， she points out that Texas IS unique。 “No other state brings together so many disparate and defining characteristics all in one—a state that shares a border with a foreign nation， a state with a long history of disputes between Europeans and an Indigenous population and between Anglo-Europeans and people of Spanish origin， a state that had existed as an independent nation， that had plantation-based slavery and legalized Jim Crow。”Gordon-Reed recounts her life experiences where the lofty idealism stated in the Declaration of Independence fell away in the day-to-day interactions she knew growing up in Conroe， Texas。 She revisits these experiences and highlights the fallibility of people in the past and present。 She believes that they need to be addressed in order to move forward。 Recommend。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=On Juneteenth

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=On Juneteenth&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,On Juneteenth&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0