Juneteenth, for my fellow Northeasterners, is the anniversary of the announcement in Galveston in 1865 that the war was over – and thus the slaves were now all free. It effectively marks the end of slavery in the USA*. The holiday is pretty big in the African-American community; of the states that celebrate it, Texas probably does so most thoroughly because, well, Texas. People worked out that the holiday could easily accommodate a barbeque, which I’ve discovered is a pretty dang significant event/occupation/preoccupation in the South. Although Southerners don’t really agree with me that Maryland counts as ‘the South.’
Anyway. Happy Juneteenth.
Moe Lane
*Sorta. The Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution had been passed but not yet ratified at that point. But said ratification was going to be as inevitable as the tide anyway.
I lived in Maryland for 3 1/2 years, my wife grew up there. It most assuredly does NOT count as the South. In any conceivable way, shape or form.
Part of the eastern shore and the far Western counties are pretty country. But Maryland isn’t the South. It’s definately in the NoVa-Delaware-SE PA-South Jersey Mid-Atlantic culture.
You guys had a look at the state anthem and what the surviving National Guard regiment is lately? (Hint: it’s not the one that traces its lineage to the Union side.) Also worth noting is that the only reason Maryland didn’t secede is that Ben Butler threatened to use the state capitol for artillery practice with the legislators still inside. No, Maryland is pretty thoroughly a slave state, right down to being run by the Democrats for the benefit of the rich white folks.