Touch the Elbow - Blogging the Civil War

Surprisingly there was little out in the blogosphere about Juneteenth this week. When I did a Google news search, I found a mere 23 articles dealing with it, which really seemed low. Especially compared to the recent event on the battlefield of Antietam.

What exactly is Juneteenth you may ask? Well, it's a celebration of the emancipation proclamation and the end of slavery. The "holiday" started in Texas shortly after the war and is now celebrated throughout the country, although not as big as it used to be.

Here in South Carolina, the small town of Lincolnville celebrated with an event that lasted through the weekend. As one organizer put it, they were trying to teach the younger generations the importance of their history.

I am glad to see that people are celebrating Juneteenth, remembering that at one time, they did not have the opportunity to do so.

Perhaps next year, we will see more people celebrating Juneteenth or at least a bit more people acknowledge its existense. For no matter what you feel about the causes of the war, this is an example of something good that came out of it. Something very good.