Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

> Juneteenth marks the day 2.5 years later that the last known enslaved people were freed

Nope, just the last in the Confederate States; the last Union chattel slaves (e.g., in Delaware) were freed by operation of law a few months later with the ratification of the 13th Amendment.

(And that's not even discussing penal slavery allowed under the 13th Amendment.)



>(And that's not even discussing penal slavery allowed under the 13th Amendment.)

To expand on this, knowingbetter did an in-depth video on this topic[0]. The salient bit is that penal slavery was ended in 1941-1942 by Roosevelt, so that the Japanese couldn't use it as war propaganda against the US.

[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4kI2h3iotA


> the salient bit is that penal slavery was ended in 1941-1942 by Roosevelt,

No, convict leasing, one of several manifestations of penal slavery, was (formally) ended by Roosevelt then. Penal slavery continues in the US today, although some states have abolished it recently (though there is litigation in some of those states over it being continued in practice despite the recent formal abolition.)




Consider applying for YC's Fall 2025 batch! Applications are open till Aug 4

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: