The History of Juneteenth

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in the United States. 

 It is celebrated annually on June 19th, marking the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, were informed of their freedom. 

This news arrived more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued and nearly two months after the surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. 

 While President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, it only declared enslaved people in Confederate territories free. It didn’t immediately free all enslaved people, particularly those in border states that remained loyal to the Union.

Texas, due to its geographic isolation and limited Union Army presence, was the last state where slavery persisted. 

On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston and announced General Order No. 3, which declared that all enslaved people in Texas were free.

In 1866, freedmen in Texas organized the first Juneteenth celebrations to commemorate this pivotal moment.     

Juneteenth celebrations, initially centered around church gatherings and family reunions, gradually spread throughout the United States as Black people migrated to other parts of the country.

 After a long campaign, Juneteenth was finally recognized as a federal holiday on June 17, 2021, when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act.