ALWAYS CELEBRATE YOUR VICTORIES:

On June 19, 1865, Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas, to deliver news of the Emancipation Proclamation. More than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the proclamation, the promise of freedom was finally realized in the westernmost Confederate state. 

Although Texas had recognized the holiday since 1979, it wasn't until June 2021, when President Joe Biden signed a bill recognizing the date, that Juneteenth became a federal holiday. The move came as the Black Lives Matter movement gained political clout and during a time of sharp racial tensions in America. [...]

The conservative perspective on America's past injustices commonly goes like this: The founding principles of our country are precisely what allowed us to overcome the crimes of our past and should thus be preserved. 

America has failed to live up to its promise that "all men are created equal" and "are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights" in many facets of history. However, whether those shortcomings were the original sin of slavery, the deprivation of women's right to vote or any of our other past wrongdoings, America has over time continued to refine her actions to better fulfill her promises. 

We should celebrate occasions that mark the realization of our Founding Fathers' principles, and Juneteenth marks an important victory in that arena. 

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