Juneteenth

American history · freedom · celebration

June 19, 1865. On this day, Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Texas and announced that all enslaved people were now free. This was the last place where the Emancipation Proclamation was officially enforced, nearly three years after President Lincoln first issued it.

From slavery to freedom. Juneteenth marks the end of slavery in the United States. Formerly enslaved people celebrated this day with parades, barbecues, music, and family gatherings to honor their freedom and remember their ancestors.

The name's origin. The word Juneteenth comes from putting June and nineteenth together. People started using this name in the 1890s to describe the holiday that had been celebrated in Texas and other communities for decades.

A national holiday. In 2021, Juneteenth became an official federal holiday in the United States. This means it is now recognized and celebrated across the whole country as an important day in American history.

Delayed freedom news. Many enslaved people in Texas did not know they were free until Granger announced it in 1865, even though the Emancipation Proclamation had been issued years earlier. This huge delay happened because Texas was far away and the Civil War had just ended.