Celebrate Juneteenth

Friday, June 19, 2026, is a federal holiday in the United States. Government offices will be closed. Retail businesses, for the most part, will be open, just as they stay open for several of the federal holidays.

On June 19, 1865, federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed. This, however, was two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect January, 1863. This day, the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, has become a day for African Americans to celebrate not only their freedom, but their history, culture and achievements.

"Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof." -- Leviticus 25:10

"Juneteenth reminds us of both the unimaginable injustice of slavery and the incomparable joy that must have attended emancipation. It is both a remembrance of a blight on our history and a celebration of our Nation’s unsurpassed ability to triumph over darkness…. This Juneteenth, we commit, as one Nation, to live true to our highest ideals and to build always toward a freer, stronger country that values the dignity and boundless potential of all Americans."

-- Presidential Message on Juneteenth, 2020, President Donald J. Trump

The original of the Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863, is in the National Archives in Washington, D.C. The final proclamation was first printed in January 1863, as a two-page broadsheet with the printed signatures of Lincoln and Secretary of State William H. Seward. Later, a limited edition of forty-eight copies was printed. They were signed in pen by Lincoln, Seward, and Lincoln's secretary, John G. Nicolay, the copies were donated to raise money for the group that later became the Red Cross. About twenty known copies of the document have survived in public and private hands. Number 32 of this 48-copy edition is at the Boston Athenaeum on Beacon Street. I had the great pleasure of viewing it at a January 20, 2009, Athenaeum event to watch the Inauguration of President Barack Obama.

Department of War

Of Course You Realize This Means War -- Bugs Bunny

On September 5, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14347, Restoring the United States Department of War. It states, in part:

"On August 7, 1789, 236 years ago, President George Washington signed into law a bill establishing the United States Department of War to oversee the operation and maintenance of military and naval affairs. It was under this name that the Department of War, along with the later formed Department of the Navy, won the War of 1812, World War I, and World War II, inspiring awe and confidence in our Nation's military, and ensuring freedom and prosperity for all Americans. The Founders chose this name to signal our strength and resolve to the world. The name "Department of War," more than the current "Department of Defense," ensures peace through strength, as it demonstrates our ability and willingness to fight and win wars on behalf of our Nation at a moment's notice, not just to defend. This name sharpens the Department's focus on our own national interest and our adversaries' focus on our willingness and availability to wage war to secure what is ours. I have therefore determined that this Department should once again be known as the Department of War and the Secretary should be known as the Secretary of War."

To the list of America's victories in war, I add the Mexican American War and the Spanish American War.

This name change is on its way to becoming Congressionally enacted law. On April 30, 2026, the House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027. The vote was very largely along partisan line, with 14 Democrats and 1 Independent joining Republicans in passing the bill. Three Republicans voted Nay.

The Act passed by the House included an Amendment, offered by Mr. Ronny Jackson (Republican, Texas-13) restoring the name Department of War.

The bill was sent to the Senate, where the Senate Armed Services Committee held a "mark up" hearing June 9-10. While the hearing was closed to the public, news outlets report that the Senate Committee is moving the bill forward.