First published 2021
Historian Annette Gordon-Reed examines the path to June 19, 1865, when Major General Gordon Granger declared slavery's end in Texas. Gordon-Reed combines her family's story with American history, tracing her ancestors who arrived in Texas as enslaved people in the 1820s. She challenges the familiar tales of cowboys and oil barons that dominate Texas mythology. Her account reveals how Black Texans shaped the state from its earliest days through that pivotal moment in Galveston. Gordon-Reed connects the slave economy to Texas independence, the Mexican-American War, and the Civil War itself. She replaces the traditional Alamo narrative with a more complete story. The book moves from Reconstruction through Jim Crow to the present day, showing the continued struggle for equality. Gordon-Reed offers both personal memories and historical analysis. She demonstrates how understanding Juneteenth requires understanding the full scope of African-American experience in Texas and America.
Genres: african-american, biography-memoir, 21st-century, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-narrative, personal-memoir
Setting: Texas, Galveston
Period: 1820s, 1865, Reconstruction, Jim Crow
148 pages · Hardcover · Liveright