Coined as America’s second day of Independence, June 19, 1865, is a day on which all Americans can claim what Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

On this day, two hundred forty-six years after the first twenty slaves arrived at Point Comfort in what became the Commonwealth of Virginia, African Americans were free. It would take another 100 years before the Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibited racial discrimination in voting and placed restrictions on Southern states trying to change their voting laws. The Supreme Court gutted those restrictions in 2013 in a 5-4 decision, thus turning their backs on 237 years of racism.

I hope we continue to learn about the history of Juneteenth—a day when all Americans could begin to be judged solely by the content of their character.

Here is a little bit of our shared history. It has a few people to be proud of, but a legacy to be ashamed of.

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As the Civil War drug on, their feud turned into a grudge. Ulysses S Grant didn’t much care for Gordon Granger. Grant was two years senior at West Point and would continue to dislike Granger throughout his military career. During the Civil War, Grant would go on to command all Union forces. In contrast, Granger would shuffle around to commands and assignments as far from Grant as possible. After the war, Grant would be elected president. On June 10, 1865, Gordon Granger was given command of Union soldiers in the District of Texas.

Gordon Granger

On June 19, 1865, Gordon Granger cemented his place in history. On that day, he issued General Order No. 3, a legal statement enforcing the Emancipation Proclamation and freeing all slaves in Texas. Gordon’s Decree came two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed his famous Proclamation, freeing all enslaved people in the Confederate South.

The Decree begins:

“The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired laborer.”

While in command of the Union Army in Texas, he erased laws passed by the Confederacy and paroled Confederate soldiers. He advised newly freed Blacks not to congregate in towns and around military posts without employment and not to expect welfare. Instead, he urged them to remain on plantations and sign labor agreements with their former owners until Congress could establish the Freedmen’s Bureau.

Initiated in 1863 by Abraham Lincoln, the Freedmen’s Bureau was intended to last only a year. After Lincoln’s assassination, President Andrew Johnson opposed the Bureau because he said it would make the negro lazy and create a welfare state. Southern lawmakers also fought the Bureau by enacting Black Codes, which restricted employment, movement, and other voting and civil rights of the freed slaves. The goal of the newly elected officials was nothing short of continuing slavery.

It would take Oliver Otis Howard, another Union General, to fulfill Granger’s vision. Howard’s performance in battle was mixed. In both the battles of Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, he failed to adequately guard the flank, allowing Confederate soldiers to overrun Union lines. He lost his right arm in the Battle of Fair Oaks/Seven Pines and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions. After the war, Howard became the first and only commissioner of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, referred to as the Freedmen’s Bureau.

Oliver Otis Howard

The Bureau lasted only seven years, but it would initiate a process of integrating Blacks into society by providing food, clothing, and temporary shelter for freedmen, their wives, and children. Its attempt at delivering critical medical care was inadequate at best, but the Bureau’s legacy on education was transformative. The Bureau spent $5 million to set up schools and hire teachers. By 1865, thanks to the Freedmen’s Bureau, more than 90,000 former slaves were enrolled in public schools.

Today, Otis Howard’s legacy lives on as the namesake of one of the most prestigious historically Black Colleges, Howard University. While commissioner of the Freedmen’s Bureau, Howard was also appointed the first president of Howard University. The purpose of Howard and other historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) was to provide opportunities for African Americans. HBCUs are primarily responsible for creating and expanding the African American middle class. It would take a century after the establishment of Howard before Blacks could attend White universities in the Southern states.

Another significant contribution of the Freedmen’s Bureau was its documentation of Black marriages, births, and land ownership. These records assisted over 4 million former slaves searching for loved ones who had been sold off and separated. It also provided the key documents required for Blacks to relocate.

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the official repository of U.S. government records. The records created by the Freedmen’s Bureau are among the most essential documents available for the study of Black family life and genealogy. The curated artifacts of the Freedmen’s Bureau are an irreplaceable resource for African Americans who seek to “bridge the gap from slavery to freedom.” These records document the black family’s struggle for equality and social justice. Sixteen states and the District of Columbia contribute to NARA’s databases and research expertise.

Like other Federal agencies, massive reductions in the workforce are already having a chilling effect on our National Archives. The decent and faithful public servants of NARA are the guardians of our sacred and shared history. Without these dedicated disciples, our mighty ship of democracy will unmoor and drift aimlessly until we maroon on the rocky shoals of tyranny.

When we lose our history, we destroy our ability to shape a better future. Would the last archivist of our shared past please turn out the lights.