House on 4 Facts About Juneteenth That May Not Be Taught in Florida: The Messenger

Roger House, associate professor in American Studies, wrote an opinion piece for The Messenger about Juneteenth and the current political climate in the Sunshine State.

House focuses on four facts regarding emancipation, reparations, citizenship, and the newly-recognized federal holidays.

House writes about reparations that were promised to freed slaves:

The Juneteenth era was a time of restitution claims by ex-slaves — known as Freedmen — for the land around Jacksonville and northern Florida, and for coastal Georgia and South Carolina. The region had been awarded in reparation for slavery and for military service in January 1865. Then, Union Army. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman issued Special Field Order No. 15 to transfer about 400,000 acres of abandoned seacoast plantations to the Freedmen.

Read House’s full piece on The Messenger.