there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality. And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and infe- rior, and I as much as any other man am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race.” Simply put, Lincoln was never anti- racist. However, one can say that Lincoln had morally and politically detested the system of slavery throughout his life. His opinion was that the method of unfree labor was opposed to the basic postulates of republican freedom and believed they would morally undermine the nation. Lincoln saw great promise for the coun- try and “rejected the popular notion that society needed a permanent class of low- wage workers to provide the foundation for economic progress—an idea that in its most extreme form was the rationale for slavery.” Depicted most prominently in his “House Divided” speech from June 1858, Lincoln believed, “‘A house divided against itself cannot stand.’ I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free.” America could not have sustained itself as a half free and half slave nation, and thus the concept of “free labor” was reimagined, making it opportune for economic progress in the North to stop reliance on slavery. He finally reached a compromise with the radical opponents of slavery at the time, and they decided that containment of slavery — to let slavery exist where it was granted by the Constitution, but prevent further expansion — would suffice. Rewinding to the start of the 19th century, the economy of America was predominantly agricultural and scat- tered throughout rural communities. However, as industries and technologies began to weave themselves into Ameri- can society, the rise of railway construc- tion and factory-based mass production led to an economic boom. Americans that were once used to working in small, local shops or for themselves took up jobs in the growing number of factories. This industrial promise of upward mobility was essential for both the nation’s social stability and economic prosperity. How- ever, it was a different story for many antebellum Americans that remained advocates for slavery and, therefore, resented the economic developments that paralleled abolition. Unlike the northern states who were boasting industrialized factories and modern technological devel- opments, the South still relied heavily on agricultural economics and consequen- tially, the enslavement of Black people. Even after the Emancipation Proclama- tion declared the abolishment of slavery on Jan. 1, 1863, many states waited until the 13th Amendment was ratified by Con- gress, which was passed by a narrow mar- gin on Jan. 31, 1865. Regardless, many Confederate states refused to follow the order even after rejoining the Union and so the official process of liberation did not occur unless an enslaved person escaped and reached Union zones or until their enslaver had been confronted by federal Union troops with an executive order to release their enslaved people. The last body of enslaved people to be reached with the news of abolishment was in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865 — two and a half years after the implementation of the Emancipa- tion Proclamation — marking the official liberation of all chattel enslaved Black people in America. Noliwe Rooks, direc- tor of American studies and professor of Africana studies at Cornell University, stated, “The idea that people in that part of Texas had no idea that the war was over is farcical, quite frankly. There were wire services, there were newspapers … The larger plantation owners were very wealthy and wealthy people have access to information. They were brutal people but they were the ruling class in the United States. They were elite, many were wealthy, they were not illiterate or backwards. They were brutal and inhu- man, but not ignorant.” The prolonged, painfully drawn-out end to slavery was fueled by selfishness, apathy and greed. For this reason, and many others, June 19 is an important holiday and is recognized as the true American Independence day among the Black community. It is offi- cially recognized in 47 states. After the Civil War, the Confederate flag became a heroic symbol for nostal- gic racists and was sustained as a white supremacist logo to be rekindled amongst civil rights progressions in the nation. An indoctrinated misconception is that slav- ery was exclusive to the South, but the reality is that slavery was incredibly pres- ent in the North, especially in New Jersey. In fact, the 13th Amendment, which abol- ished slavery in the Confederate states, failed to acknowledge the persistence of slavery in northern states such as New Jersey which did not officially liberate their slaves until 1866. It didn’t stop there. More than 100 years after the Eman- cipation Proclamation, into the 1960s, there were still Black families in the Deep South who had no idea they were categorically free. From being cyclically and continuously indebted to plantation owners to ancestors signing documents they couldn’t read, 20th century slaves were not allowed to leave the plantation property. There was no way for the fami- lies to know that how they were living was any different from anyone else in the country — “the land down [there] goes on forever. These plantations are a country unto themselves.” Antoinette Harrell, who researched and interviewed Black families who came forward with their experiences, said, “Slavery will continue to redefine itself for African Americans for years to come. The school to prison pipeline and private penitentiaries are just a few of the new ways to guaran- tee that black people provide free labor for the system at large. However, I also believe there are still African families who are tied to Southern farms in the most antebellum sense of speaking. A fter resolving that Presi- dent Trump was unfamiliar with the significance of both June 19 and Tulsa, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., — the only Black Republican in the Senate — stated, “I’m thankful that he moved it … once he was informed on what Juneteenth was, that was a good decision on his part.” After this inci- dent, many have moved to recognize Juneteenth as a holiday for employ- ees, including New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and companies including Best Buy, Nike and Postmates, among oth- ers. This has also been the first year we’ve witnessed widespread media coverage of Juneteenth, which has undeniably uncovered the fact that mil- lions of Americans are unaware of the histories of our country. The demand is simple: Juneteenth needs to be a federal holiday, one that recognizes the humanity and deserved independence of all American citizens, not only those who sought indepen- dence to then enslave others. We live in a nation whose schooling system is designed to indoctrinate a false his- tory of America. The White House and the Trump administration — who were admittedly ignorant to the day on which the last enslaved people were officially emancipated, the significance of Tulsa and Black Wall Street and the Tulsa race massacre, which is known to be the worst incident of racial vio- lence in American history — symbolize this complicit American ignorance and lack of education. We must do better. We must celebrate Black history, not in the month of February or when Black bodies are hanging, but as a way of life and as American history. Trump and his campaign aides failed to grasp the significance of holding a political rally on Juneteenth, nor did they realize that Tulsa’s history compounded the racial insensitivity of already want- ing to hold a rally amid a deeply painful time for the country. When asked if the coincidental scheduling was intentional, Trump responded, “Think about it as a celebration. My rally is a celebration.” However, the president’s rallies never seem to celebrate anything other than white supremacy and further division of the country. In a Politico Playbook audio briefing, they said Trump is “torn between the impulse to speak and cater to his base, and the demands of govern- ing a multiracial country in the throes of unprecedented turmoil and upheaval. He seems generally uncertain of his place in the moment, and in the broader history of our country.” It is not surpris- ing to many, especially after learning of his inability to grasp the fundamental history of Pearl Harbor. A former senior White House adviser said: “He was at times dangerously uninformed.” This seems to be a recurring embar- rassment for the president, but to think that all of those who advise Trump are not sophisticated enough to under- stand the significance of holding a rally so close to Juneteenth in Tulsa would also be a dangerous underestimation. This leads many to believe that Stephen Miller — a white nationalist, one of the president’s closest aides and his “xeno- phobic homunculus” — understood the direct message they were sending with the rally: deeper division of the country along humanitarian and racial lines. We are often taught that Abraham Lincoln was the white savior of the slavery narrative, that he courageously abolished slavery and the inhuman- ities that had transpired in America’s past. This narrative, along with so many other examples of whitewashed American history, has been undeniably contorted when one examines actual perspectives of the former president. From Lincoln’s Sept. 18, 1858 debate with Judge Douglas, he states: “I will say then that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the black and white races -- that I am not nor ever have been in favor of making VOTERS or jurors of negroes, NOR OF QUALI- FYING THEM HOLD OFFICE, nor to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this that 4 Thursday, June 25, 2020 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com OPINION 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. BRITTANY BOWMAN Editorial Page Editor Alanna Berger Zack Blumberg Brittany Bowman Emily Considine Elizabeth Cook Jess D’Agostino Jenny Gurung Cheryn Hong Zoe Phillips Mary Rolfes Michael Russo Gabrijela Skoko Timothy Spurlin Joel Weiner Erin White Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily’s Editorial Board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors. EMMA STEIN Editor in Chief EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS FROM THE DAILY Juneteenth, Black Wall Street and why ignorance is not bliss A s we continue into the first days of summer surrounded by nationwide protests for intersectional Black liberation, many were understandably appalled when President Donald Trump announced he was planning to hold a rally in Tulsa, Okla., on June 19. This decision to hold his first rally in three months on Juneteenth, a holiday that commemorates the ending of slavery in the U.S., and in Tulsa, where this month marks the 99th anniversary of the Tulsa race massacre, was deemed racially insensitive by many. Read more at MichiganDaily.com