The majority of slaves probably wore plain unblackened sturdy leather shoes without buckles. Female slaves also wore jackets or waistcoats that consisted of a short fitted bodice that closed in the front.

In the lower South the majority of slaves lived and worked on cotton plantations. Most of these plantations had fifty or fewer slaves, although the largest plantations have several hundred. Cotton was by far the leading cash crop, but slaves also raised rice, corn, sugarcane, and tobacco.

Slaves fought as soldiers and usually were considered of high status. In some societies military slaves belonged to private individuals, in others to the government.

In the South, the percentage of the population that was enslaved was extraordinarily high: over 70 percent in most counties along the Mississippi River and parts of the South Carolina and Georgia coast.

Prevalence. The Global Slavery Index 2018 estimates that on any given day in 2016 there were 403,000 people living in conditions of modern slavery in the United States, a prevalence of 1.3 victims of modern slavery for every thousand in the country.

Truly giant slaveholders such as Robert and D. G. Mills, who owned more than 300 slaves in 1860 (the largest holding in Texas), had plantations in this area, and the population resembled that of the Old South’s famed Black Belt.

Mexican Independence and Texas Revolution Mexico gained its independence from Spain in 1821 following an 11-year revolutionary war. Under Mexican rule, slavery was officially outlawed in Texas by 1829.

1865

Though not a federal holiday, 47 states and the District of Columbia recognize Juneteenth as a state or ceremonial holiday. The only three states that do not recognize the holiday are North Dakota, South Dakota and Hawaii.

That banner with a bursting star in the middle is the Juneteenth Flag, a symbolic representation of the end of slavery in the United States. The flag is the brainchild of activist Ben Haith, founder of the National Juneteenth Celebration Foundation (NJCF).

Juneteenth, also called Emancipation Day, or Juneteenth Independence Day, holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, observed annually on June 19. Juneteenth is celebrated on Saturday, June 19, 2021.

Of the 47 states that do acknowledge Juneteenth in one way or another, Texas, Virginia, New York and Pennsylvania are the only ones recognizing it as an official paid holiday for state employees. Virginia’s governor announced on Tuesday that he’ll propose making Juneteenth an official state holiday.

Here are three ways you can commemorate Juneteenth in your workplace.

1. Make Juneteenth A Company-Wide Effort.
2. Volunteer At Local Juneteenth Events.
3. Invite A Guest Speaker.

Juneteenth traces its origins back to Galveston, Texas where on June 19, 1865 Union soldiers, led by Major Gen. The day’s name is a combination of “June” and “nineteenth” in honor of the date of Granger’s announcement and first appeared around 1903. It is also known as African American Freedom Day or Emancipation Day.

Fly the Juneteenth Flag Its colors—red, white, and blue—are the same as the U.S. flag, emphasizing that those formerly enslaved and their descendants are Americans.

In 1886, The Statue of Liberty was a symbol of democratic government and Enlightenment ideals as well as a celebration of the Union’s victory in the American Civil War and the abolition of slavery.

The Juneteenth Flag is not an actual flag of Africa but an American creation in the colors red, black, and green. Red represents the blood that was shed, black is for the color of our skin, and green is for the ground upon which we proudly stand free.