Why the 13th Week Freedom Movement is important!

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THE 13TH AMENDMENT FREEDOM WEEK MOVEMENT IS “AS AMERICAN AS APPLE PIE!”

Again, the 13th Amendment Freedom Week Movement is not a movement to open old wounds that are used as an excuse for the advocacy of racism, hatred, and division. It is an attempt to bring balance to the presentation of black American history while celebrating historical points of reference for all people who love freedom. The thirteen colonies struggled successfully to free themselves from their colonial ruler, Great Britain, and that was independence for a new nation and a new government.

Americans celebrate Independence Day on July 4th each year to commemorate its success. The 13th Amendment Freedom Week celebrates the end of slavery for black Americans, which simultaneously ushered in their long-hoped-for freedom…it also marks the first time in American history that all law-abiding Americans were free.

Celebrating success is better than celebrating failure, and celebrating freedom is better than celebrating slavery. Although slavery is to be acknowledged for its historical reality, it is freedom that is always the prize.  And it is freedom that needs to be celebrated! Independence Day celebrates the independence of white America…blacks were still chattel slaves.

The 13th Amendment Freedom Week celebrates the freedom of black America and all of America. The 13th Amendment represented when slavery was abolished for the entire nation. It is an achievement for the whole country. All freedom-loving Americans should be proud of abolishing slavery and bringing about freedom for all Americans. It was a burden that was lifted. It was a challenge that was met. It was a battle that was won. It was a great day and time. Praise God!

Freedom and independence are similar but not necessarily the same. If people have both independence as a country and freedom for individuals, then that is great. However, citizens within a country can have independence but still not have freedom. Many countries around the world have relative independence, but individual citizens do not have freedom. Dictators and tyrants run their countries.

These dictators control their nations' means of production, distribution, and consumption. They control the media, education, employment, retirement, healthcare, and religion (if it is allowed to exist at all). They control the people. The citizens usually celebrate Independence and call it freedom. They do indeed realize that they have independence, but freedom is still seriously limited.

Freedom is more important than independence if it means that the people are still enslaved by having independence as a country. A nation's citizens can depend on another country but still have individual freedom. They are better off than those who are relatively independent but have little or no freedom. And usually, if the individual citizens are not free, the country eventually loses its independence.

If America celebrates freedom, should she not celebrate freedom when all were freed, not just when some were freed? Why celebrate or mark a time to celebrate freedom when everyone was NOT yet free? Do Whites do it? Do Blacks do it? Do those slaves count who were still enslaved but gained their freedom last? Do they matter?  The best way to celebrate freedom is when ALL are freed.  And that falls under the ratification of the 13th Amendment on December 6, 1865. 

Believe it or not, some blacks are not enthusiastic about celebrating the 4th of

July because they say that blacks were still slaves at the time of the Declaration of Independence and that it did not apply to blacks, only whites. They sometimes mention Frederick Douglass's ‘‘What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” - dated July 5th, 1852. Well, Douglass lived until 1895 and changed his views from the time he made that speech about the Declaration of Independence celebration.

His speech critical of the relevance of the Independence Day celebration regarding those in slavery was before the founding of the Republican Party (in which he was an active member). It was before the Civil War, the D. C. Emancipation, the 1st and 2nd Confiscation Acts, the Emancipation Proclamation, the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, the Civil Rights legislation, the election of blacks to Congress during Reconstruction, etc. For 54 years, he supported and fought for all the achievements that helped free black people from chattel slavery and granted them equal opportunity. Frederick Douglass became a great American patriot and Statesman!

So those blacks who like to recite Frederick Douglass as a reference should look at the “timeline” of his growth and development if they want to treat him fairly. Frederick Douglass was one of the foremost abolitionists and a great American hero! He recognized and accepted the United States Constitution as a document for freedom and not a document of slavery. He served as an advisor to Presidents, recruited black soldiers for the Union Army, was appointed U. S. Marshall of the District of Columbus, was appointed U. S. Deeds of Record for the District of Columbia, and was appointed U. S. Minister Resident & Consul General for the Republic of Haiti. Frederick Douglas was no half-baked revolutionary and protested socialism and communism being imposed upon him.

The 13th Amendment Freedom Week, celebrating the ratification of the 13th Amendment is the best celebration to help heal and unite the country concerning race relations because both blacks and whites were involved in its development. And it is the best opportunity to teach about freedom and the United States Constitution, which is sorely needed in this country to perpetuate the ideas of freedom. How can anyone teach black American history and leave out the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments?

It is like teaching American history and not mentioning the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights.

Independence Day celebration is incomplete without the 13th Amendment Freedom

Week celebration. Just celebrating the 4th of July is not enough. It does not cover the Constitution because there was no United States Constitution at the time. America did not have a President, Congress, and Judiciary…nor was the slave trade or slavery abolished.

We need a time that we celebrate Independence – July 4th, signing of the Declaration of Independence. And we need a time that we celebrate Freedom – the week of December 6th, ratification of the 13th Amendment.

A day to celebrate freedom and freedom concepts are far more important than celebrating the birthday of some individual personality or leader.  Too many people are eager to celebrate a personality but have no interest in celebrating freedom.   No personality is bigger than freedom and freedom ideas.  Any individual is limited, but the freedom philosophy is vast in scope and influence. Individual personalities can be adequately remembered and honored during the freedom celebration or holiday.  Otherwise, individuals racking up one-day celebrations could lead to an excessive number of celebrations each year for each celebrity.  Supernatural powers may even be attributed to certain leaders and so-called heroes.  Individual personalities will turn into mini gods, and celebrations will turn into hero worship.  Humanity will be led down the path of blasphemy and idolatry. 

 Freedom should be our birthright, and celebrating it is a part of our culture!  Celebration of the 13th Amendment Freedom Week Movement is “as American as apple pie!” It is a part of the United States Constitution, for God’s sake!

 “Hold on to the Constitution and to the Republic for which it stands. Miracles do not cluster, and what has happened once in 6,000 years, may not happen again.”

Daniel Webster, 1802