[Juneteenth]. 21st Anniversary of Emancipation in Texas Broadside....

Description

[Juneteenth]. 21st Anniversary of Emancipation in Texas Broadside. One page, 4 3/4 x 12 3/4 inches, Corpus Christi, Texas; June 19, 1886. A broadside advertising the 21st anniversary celebration of "the Emancipation in Texas," now commonly called Juneteenth, in Corpus Christi, Texas. Dated 1886, this broadside is the earliest Juneteenth celebration item we have seen offered at auction; previously, the earliest known example was dated 1903 and sold in 2007.

On June 19, 1865-over two years after Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation-Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced that all enslaved people were free, effectively enforcing the proclamation in one of the last holdout states. As early as 1866, Black communities commemorated the day with parades, music, prayer services, and family gatherings.

This program announces a parade and outlines the order of procession. Behind the mounted officers of the celebration, banners were flown celebrating Black progress since emancipation, "bearing the word[s] Our 21st Birthday, Born June 19, 1865" and "We have Taxable Property, Schools, Colleges, &c, Eminent Divines, doctors, Lawyers, Newspapers, Bales of Cotton Raised, &c." These banners were followed by floats depicting notable Black figures, including Frederick Douglass, Blanche Bruce (the first Black state senator to serve a full term), John R. Lynch (the first Black Speaker of the House in any state), and Hiram Revels (the first Black American to serve in the United States Senate), as well as "A few of Our (white) Friends" including Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, and John Brown.

Texas became the first state to officially recognize Juneteenth as a holiday in 1980. Gradually, other states followed suit, and in 2021, Juneteenth was designated a federal holiday.

Condition: The broadside has been professionally restored and is backed with archival tissue. Heavily toned, with a few light stains. Some edgewear and smoothed creases. Loss at the top and bottom margins, affecting text; hole measuring approximately 1/4 x 1/4 inches in the center, affecting text.

More Information: From the archive of William H. Leonard. Leonard (born c. 1853) was a writer, barber, business owner, and community leader in Corpus Christi. Originally from Mississippi, Leonard moved to Texas in the 1870s and established a barbershop in Corpus Christi called "The Rosebud." There, he met his wife, Josephine Fox Leonard, and the couple had six children. Over the following two decades, Leonard emerged as a prominent figure in his community. He founded and distributed a newsletter, The Guide; contributed to the New York-based newspaper The Globe, covering events in Texas; chaired the city's annual Juneteenth celebration; led political organizations such as the Colored People's Progressive Club; and served as the only Black delegate to Project Deep Water, the 1879 initiative that led to the construction of Port Aransas. His collected writings offer a vivid portrait of his leadership and the vibrancy of Black culture in Corpus Christi.