Juneteenth and Black History with Maps101

Dear Educator,

Although the Emancipation Proclamation was effective in 1863, enslaved people living in Texas, the Confederacy’s westernmost state, did not have freedom until federal troops arrived in Galveston with the news. That took place on June 19, 1865. Since then, many Black Americans celebrate a holiday called Juneteenth to mark when all enslaved people finally gained their freedom. 

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Juneteenth is annually celebrated on June 19^th. The name is a portmanteau of “June” and “nineteenth.” This is the date, in 1865, when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to take control of the state. They announced that enslaved Blacks were free. Texas was the first state to officially make June 19^th a holiday. In June 2021, Congress passed a resolution to make the day a federal holiday, and President Joe Biden signed it into law on June 17, 2021. Juneteenth is considered the longest-running African American celebration. Read on to find resources on Black American history to share with your students, including this week’s GNN article with more information about the history of Juneteenth.

Students will best understand the context of the importance of Juneteenth by understanding slavery in the United States. This GNN article delves into this challenging part of America’s past. By learning about our history, we can understand where we are today.

Slavery was not solely an American phenomenon. Ancient Romans had slaves, for example. As Europe colonized, they used enslaved people to perform labor, although slavery ended in England with the advent of the Industrial Revolution. The United States struggled with slavery, and civil war broke out as a result. However, slavery as a worldwide issue continues today. This exclusive Field Trip brings the issue into global context for your students as they discover the complicated history of the slave trade.

Providing a map of a historical topic helps all learners understand the content in a way that text cannot provide. This map shows the extent of the African slave trade in a way that can help students visualize how far-reaching the practice was and how much of Africa was affected. For example, with the map, students can see that slaves were forced across the Atlantic into South America as well as North America. Maps are an excellent tool for visual learners—and ALL learners—to connect with a topic.

While slavery was not confined only to America, the practice, predominantly in the South, largely broke the country apart as Southern states seceded from the Union and the North fought to reunite the country. This Field Trip explores this bloody time in U.S. history when we fought each other in mostly face-to-face combat.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt was in office in 1939. While African Americans by then had long been freed from slavery, they were not equal citizens. Meanwhile, Marian Anderson had a beautiful voice. She was expected to sing at Constitution Hall, but the organization known as the Daughters of the American Revolution refused to allow her to sing, only because Ms. Anderson was Black. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt gave up her membership in the organization, and Marian Anderson was instead scheduled to perform in front of the Lincoln Memorial—a fitting location given Lincoln’s role during the Civil War era. This GNN article focuses on Marian Anderson and her role in breaking down racial barriers.

After the Civil War ended, the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed. It abolished slavery in the United States. However, African Americans did not experience equality in their day-to-day lives. Blacks and whites were segregated. Jim Crow laws limited the voting rights of African Americans. Equality was a long way off. In the 1950s, a movement began to grow calling for civil rights for all. This Field Trip explores the impact of the civil rights movement with topics such as desegregation, Rosa Parks, the March on Washington, Affirmative Action, and much more.

Maps101 has a large variety of content of interest to Black Studies, English Language Arts, and of course, Social Studies. For example, all of these subject areas can benefit from additional GNN biographies, including articles on Jesse Owens, Condoleezza Rice, Bessie Coleman, Miles Davis, Ida B. Wells, Katherine Johnson, Muhammad Ali, Maya Angelou, Martin Luther King, Jr., and more. Maps, additional articles, more Field Trips, and additional exclusive content are available under the umbrella of the Black History Month Collection. Use any of these to enrich your classroom, not just in February, but anytime!

This is a small sample of the kind of content available to you with your Maps101 subscription. Every week, the editors at Maps101 will provide you with highlights from our extensive collection in this GeoJournal newsletter. We suggest you make a folder to store them for future reference. Expand your students’ world with Maps101!

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