Ignorance about "Juneteenth" in Missouri is officious, malicious, pernicious. Missouri's slaves were freed January 11, 1865, by law; 6 months before Texas slaves are reputed to have learned the Civil War was over, from Gen. Granger.
Over 6,000 former Missouri slaves, in fact, fought in two separate United States Colored Troops (USCT) units, after Jan. 1, 1863' "Emancipation Proclamation," valorously. One such unit the 62nd USCT, ironically, among other venues, served and saw action in Brazos, Santiago,Texas and its environs, from 1864-1866, during the very time that the "Juneteenth" legend arose., which Dr. Myron Pitts debunks.
That same unit gave over $6,000 cash to establish Lincoln University in Jefferson City to their commanding office, Col. Richard Baxter Foster. They realized that their people had "no time to lose." Foster taught his troops to read and write while soldiering.
If Texas slaves learned later, as their famous June 19, 1865, celebration date suggests, it was what Missouri slaves had already known, years earlier--before the 1850s-- that they were free to fight for freedom in the "Kansas Border Wars," with John Brown, Doc Jamison, Col. James Montgomery; to sue for freedom in court and win as did Dred Scott and Harriet Scott, at first;as had hundreds had done in "freedom suits" from the 1820's forward; or flee to freedom in Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma and Nebraska territories!, as did others!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1st_Missouri_Regiment_of_Colored_Infantry
Friday, June 22, 2018
"JUNETEENTH" AND MISSOURI SLAVES
Ignorance about "Juneteenth" in Missouri is officious, malicious, pernicious. Missouri's slaves were freed January 11, 1865, by law; 6 months before Texas slaves are reputed to have learned the Civil War was over, from Gen. Granger.
Over 6,000 former Missouri slaves, in fact, fought in two separate United States Colored Troops (USCT) units, after Jan. 1, 1863' "Emancipation Proclamation," valorously. One such unit the 62nd USCT, ironically, among other venues, served and saw action in Brazos, Santiago,Texas and its environs, from 1864-1866, during the very time that the "Juneteenth" legend arose., which Dr. Myron Pitts debunks.
That same unit gave over $6,000 cash to establish Lincoln University in Jefferson City to their commanding office, Col. Richard Baxter Foster. They realized that their people had "no time to lose." Foster taught his troops to read and write while soldiering.
If Texas slaves learned later, as their famous June 19, 1865, celebration date suggests, it was what Missouri slaves had already known, years earlier--before the 1850s-- that they were free to fight for freedom in the "Kansas Border Wars," with John Brown, Doc Jamison, Col. James Montgomery; to sue for freedom in court and win as did Dred Scott and Harriet Scott, at first;as had hundreds had done in "freedom suits" from the 1820's forward; or flee to freedom in Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma and Nebraska territories!, as did others!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1st_Missouri_Regiment_of_Colored_Infantry
