As we speak, is Juneteenth, the federal vacation commemorating the abolition of slavery – the best triumph of freedom in American historical past. On this publish, I compile some hyperlinks to my writings related to the vacation and its significance. All are posts printed right here on the Volokh Conspiracy weblog.
“Juneteenth and the Universalist Ideas of the American Revolution,” June 19, 2021. This publish explains how abolition was a achievement quite than a repudiation of the ideas of the American Revolution, regardless of makes an attempt of some on each proper and left to say in any other case.
“Reflections on Juneteenth,” June 19, 2024. This publish extends and elaborates on the factors made within the 2021 publish, and condemns the lame tradition battle over the vacation.
“Slavery, the Declaration of Independence and Frederick Douglass’ ‘What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?'”, July 4, 2020. Douglass’s well-known speech sheds mild on a few of America’s best evils – but additionally on the good good performed by the Revolution and Founding. This publish – and Douglass’s speech – aren’t about Juneteenth, as such. However they’re clearly related. Douglass rightly argued that the ideas of the Revolution required the abolition of slavery – whereas additionally condemning the hypocrisy of the various white People who claimed in any other case.
“The Case Towards the Case Towards the American Revolution,” July 4, 2019. A rebuttal to longstanding arguments – superior by critics on each proper and left – that the Revolution did extra hurt than good. The declare that the Revolution someway set again abolition is a central argument of a lot of these critics. I clarify why that argument is improper.
