By Dr. Linda Lee Tarver
The Democratic Party is the oldest, most radical, dangerous, far-left political party in the United States. The Democratic Party was founded in 1828. The Confederacy consisted of members of the Democratic Party in 11 southern states, which held and supported the keeping of slaves. Jefferson Davis was the president of the Confederate territory.
The Republican Party was formally organized on July 6, 1854, at a convention “Under the Oaks” in Jackson, Michigan. The Republican party was established for one reason: to abolish slavery! Republicans were successful in electing our nation’s first Republican President, Abraham Lincoln (Inauguration in March 1861).
One month after his inauguration (April 1861), President Abraham Lincoln was thrust into a civil war. Notwithstanding the deadly war, President Lincoln stood with the Republican Party Platform and issued the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862. That proclamation went into effect on January 1, 1863. The proclamation announced the emancipation of all enslaved individuals held in Confederate territory.
The Civil War continued for two more bloody years. Like Moses, who died before his people entered the Promise Land, Abraham Lincoln was sadly killed (April 1865) before the complete emancipation of the slaves on September 19, 1865 (aka Juneteenth).
Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. On June 19th, 1865, 160 years ago, the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger (a fellow Republican), landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free! Granger’s military force and stubborn resolve formed the basis for the annual “Juneteenth” festivities.
General Gordon Granger was a West Point Military Academy graduate, an abolitionist, and a Republican. He served in the Union Army in Detroit, Michigan, before being given command of the Army’s Department of Texas.
Before the slaves were emancipated, Republicans (Abolitionists) played a vital role in what we call the Underground Railroad. The “Underground Railroad” meant death to the runaway slaves and those who aided them.
Dr. Nathan & Mrs. Pamela Thomas of Kalamazoo County, Michigan, were extremely active participants in the Underground Railroad. This Kazoo Republican was the founder of Michigan’s Republican Party. According to his wife Pamela’s memoirs, the Thomas’ assisted between 1,000 and 1,500 runaways at their office/residence between 1840 and 1860. Dr. Thomas would generally transport the slaves to Battle Creek, where they were received by fellow Quaker Erastus Hussey. In addition to his work on the Railroad, Hussey was active in abolitionist politics and started an anti-slavery newspaper called the Michigan Liberty.
Words are inadequate on the pride that I have of my Republican Party and the people who set my ancestors free. In America, I consider Juneteenth a Republican holiday. Joe Biden (or his autopen) pandered to his base, hijacked this Republican achievement, and signed into law Juneteenth as a national holiday.
Juneteenth should be celebrated every year, and the truth about the holiday should be passed down to generations of God-fearing, Republican Patriots!