On Juneteenth

“A deep irony is that despite the fact that, for most of the state’s existence, more people have lived to the east of the Escarpment, it is the inhabitants to the west who have shaped, through cowboy lore and Hollywood films, popular understandings about Texas and the people who live there.”

Here, Gordon-Reed refers to the public imagination regarding Texas, particularly the images of the Cowboy, the Rancher, and the Oilman. Having grown up in East Texas, Gordon-Reed knows these images are not representative of most Texas’s inhabitants. Hence, she addresses the misrepresentation through historical analysis that considers the role of people of color in shaping the region, as well as what purposes the limited images and historical narratives serve for people today.

“The matter was settled when Texans successfully rebelled against Mexico and set up the Republic of Texas in 1836. With this move, the right to enslave was secured, and White settlers poured into the new republic.”

This quote refers to the dispute between Anglo-American settlers and the Mexican government regarding the matter of slavery in the region. The disagreement led to the Texas Revolution. This quote demonstrates slavery was central to the development of the region, which is significant to the analysis in the book because of the way dominant historical narratives have glossed over slavery’s centrality to Texas.

“United States Major General Gordon Granger, two years after Abraham Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation, and two and a half months after Lincoln was assassinated, brought the news on June 19, 1865, that the joint effort had not succeeded.”

This quote refers to Granger’s issuance of General Order No. 3 announcing the end of legalized slavery in Texas. He issued the Order in Galveston, Texas, and since that day Juneteenth has been a holiday among Black Texans.