Juneteenth in United States ― Date, History, and Details
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History of Juneteenth in United States and How to Celebrate/ Observe It
Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. This event marks the effective end of slavery in America.
Although President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation – which declared that all slaves in rebel states were to be “forever free” – had been issued more than two and a half years earlier, on January 1, 1863, it took a while for word to reach all corners of the country. In Texas, the news of freedom came on June 19, 1865 – two and a half years after Lincoln’s proclamation.
The date has since become known as “Juneteenth” and is celebrated annually, particularly in African American communities. Festivities typically include food, music, parades, and other activities that honor African American history and culture.