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What is Juneteenth?
On 17 June 2021, “Juneteenth” became the newest Federal Holiday with the signing of Senate Bill 475 (S. 475) establishing June 19th as “Juneteenth National Independence Day”. This significant day is an important date in American history as it recognizes the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans and celebrates the official ending of slavery in our country.
This significant date is also known as Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Juneteenth Independence Day, and Black Independence Day. On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger and his Union military forces arrived in Galveston, TX, and announced the end of the Civil War and the end of slavery. Even though Abraham Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation 2 and a half years before on January 1, 1863, many enslavers continued to hold enslaved Black people captive after President Lincoln’s proclamation announcement, so Juneteenth became a symbolic date representing African American freedom.
General Orders No. 3
When Major General Gordan Granger arrived in Galveston, TX on June 19, 1865, he announced the end of both the Civil War and slavery. His announcement, General Order Number 3, was published in the newspaper Galveston Daily News and read as follows:
The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property, between former masters and slaves and the connection heretofore existing between them, becomes that between employer and hired labor. The Freedmen are advised to remain at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts; and they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.
History of the Holiday
The 1865 date is a significant date in American History because it is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.
The first time it was celebrated was in Texas on the anniversary of Major General Gordan Granger’s issuance of General Order Number 3. On June 19th, 1966, Texans celebrated emancipation with community-centric events, such as parades, cookouts, prayer gatherings, historical and cultural readings, and musical performances. Over the years, celebrations have evolved, and many communities have created their own traditions to signify the date’s importance. One such way was the purchase of land to create Emancipation Park in Houston, Texas, a 10-acre piece of land purchased by former slaves to be used as a site to celebrate Juneteenth. The holiday and its celebrations spread to other states as families moved to other parts of the country and shared the importance of the date and their cherished traditions of Juneteenth.
On January 1, 1980, Juneteenth officially became a Texas state holiday when Al Edwards, Texas state representative, put forward the bill, H.B. 1016, making Texas the first state to officially celebrate emancipation on 19th of June.
Juneteenth officially became the 11th federal holiday on June 17, 2021 and Juneteenth National Independence Day is the first holiday to be added to the list of federal holidays since the recognition of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s birthday in 1983.
Source: Congressional Research Service - Juneteenth: Fact Sheet
