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Juneteenth, sometimes dubbed Jubilee Day, is an annual celebration across U.S. communities that commemorates the emancipation of remaining slaves from the Confederacy.
President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, outlawing slavery in the United States. However, this proclamation proved limited in scope as it did not apply to border states (only slave states that seceded from the Union) or portions of the Confederacy that were already under control of the North (National Archives, 2019).
The true abolishment of slavery did not occur until two years later with the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment. This amendment to the Constitution ensured that slavery and involuntary servitude became illegal throughout U.S. territories (ourdocuments.gov).
Juneteenth is considered the oldest celebration of the ending of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas with General Order No. 3 in hand. Read aloud to the people of Texas, they were informed that all slaves were to be freed and if they were to stay put, they must be paid for their labor (New York Times, 1865). The following year marked a grand celebration of liberation, with the community holiday upheld well into the 20th century and continuing even in modern day celebrations. Juneteenth is akin to the Fourth of July for African Americans, where festivities may include religious services, music, dance, food, games, and much more (Texas State Library, 2020).
Juneteenth was first recognized for its importance in the history of Texas when it was declared an official state holiday in 1980 (Texas State Library, 2020). Forty-five other states have followed suit, with Pennsylvania being the most recent to recognize Juneteenth as a day of observance or a state holiday (Criss, D., 2019).
In 2021, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 415-14 in favor of making Juneteenth an officially recognized federal holiday. The bill was signed into law on June 17th by President Biden (Frecking, K., 2021).
(Photo Source: NYT Archives, 1865)
References
Criss, D. (2019, June 19). All but four US states celebrate Juneteenth as a holiday. CNN. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/19/us/juneteenth-state-holidays-trnd/index.html
Frecking, K. (2021, June 17). Congress approves bill to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. Associated Press. https://apnews.com/article/juneteenth-congress-federal-holiday-3cc3b7a56ec97b0bae3dbdff1da092ee
National Archives. (2019, April 17). The Emancipation Proclamation. Retrieved from https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured-documents/emancipation-proclamation
New York Times Archive. (1865, July 7). From Texas; Important orders by General Granger. New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/1865/07/07/archives/from-texas-important-orders-by-general-granger-surrender-of-senator.html
ourdocuments.gov. 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Abolition of slavery. Retrieved from https://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=false&doc=40#
Texas State Library and Archives Commission. (2020, June 18). Juneteenth. Retrieved from https://www.tsl.texas.gov/ref/abouttx/juneteenth.html
