Juneteenth

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, is a holiday celebrated on June 19th to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States. The holiday traces its roots back to Texas in 1865, when Union troops arrived in Galveston to announce the end of the Civil War and the emancipation of enslaved Black people. While President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation had technically freed enslaved individuals in Confederate-controlled areas as of January 1, 1863, the news had not yet reached many enslaved people in Texas. Even after the war officially ended in April 1865 with General Robert E. Lee’s surrender, slave owners in Texas continued to hold slaves captive until Union troops arrived. Juneteenth has been celebrated in Texas since 1866, and it has become a widely recognized and celebrated holiday across the country. The holiday is now recognized as a state holiday or special day of observance in most states, and it is being increasingly recognized as a national holiday i...