Juneteenth, also known as Juneteenth
Juneteenth Independence Day or Freedom Day, is an American holiday that commemorates the June 19, 1865, announcement of the abolition of slavery in the U.S. state
U.S. state of Texas, and more generally the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans throughout the former Confederacy of the southern United States. Its name is a portmanteau of "June" and "nineteenth", the date of its celebration.[1][2] Juneteenth
Juneteenth is recognized as a state holiday or special day of observance in forty-five states.[3] The holiday is observed primarily in local celebrations. Traditions include public readings of the Emancipation
Emancipation Proclamation, singing traditional songs such as "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and "Lift Every Voice and Sing", and reading of works by noted African-American writers such as Ralph Ellison
Ralph Ellison and Maya Angelou.[4] Celebrations may include parades, rodeos, street fairs, cookouts, family reunions, park parties, historical reenactments, or Miss Juneteenth
Juneteenth contests.[5] The Mascogos, descendants of Black Seminoles, of Coahuila, Mexico
Mexico also celebrate the Juneteenth.[6]

Contents

1 History 2 Official status 3 See also 4 References 5 External links

History[edit]

Ashton Villa, from whose front balcony General Order #3 was read on June 19, 1865

During the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation
Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862, with an effective date of January 1, 1863. It declared all slaves to be freed in the Confederate States of America
Confederate States of America in rebellion and not in Union hands. This excluded the five states known later as border states, which were the four slave states that were not in rebellion—Kentucky, Maryland, Delaware, and Missouri—and those counties of Virginia soon to form the state of West Virginia, and also the three zones under Union occupation: the state of Tennessee, lower Louisiana and Southeast Virginia. More isolated geographically, Texas
Texas was not a battleground, and thus its slaves were not affected by the Emancipation Proclamation
Emancipation Proclamation unless they escaped.[7] Planters and other slaveholders had migrated into Texas
Texas from eastern states to escape the fighting, and many brought their slaves with them, increasing by the thousands the number of slaves in the state at the end of the Civil War.[8] Although most enslaved people lived in rural areas, more than 1000 resided in both Galveston and Houston by 1860, with several hundred in other large towns.[9] By 1865, there were an estimated 250,000 enslaved people in Texas.[8] The older, and Hispanic, town of San Antonio had 168 enslaved people among a population of 3,436.[9] The news of General Robert E. Lee's surrender on April 9 moved slowly, it did not reach Texas
Texas until May 1865, and the Army of the Trans-Mississippi did not surrender until June 2.[8] On June 18, 1865, Union Army
Union Army General Gordon Granger
Gordon Granger arrived at Galveston Island
Galveston Island with 2,000 federal troops to occupy Texas
Texas on behalf of the federal government.[7] On June 19, standing on the balcony of Galveston's Ashton Villa, Granger read aloud the contents of "General Order No. 3", announcing the total emancipation of slaves:

The people of Texas
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 quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.[10]

Emancipation
Emancipation Day celebration in Richmond, Virginia in 1905

Former slaves in Galveston rejoiced in the streets after the announcement, although in the years afterward many struggled to work through the changes against resistance of whites. The following year, freedmen organized the first of what became the annual celebration of Juneteenth
Juneteenth in Texas.[10] In some cities African-Americans were barred from using public parks because of state-sponsored segregation of facilities. Across parts of Texas, freed people pooled their funds to purchase land to hold their celebrations, such as Houston's Emancipation
Emancipation Park, Mexia's Booker T. Washington Park, and Emancipation Park in Austin.[8][10] Although the date is sometimes referred to as the "traditional end of slavery in Texas" it was given legal status in a series of Texas Supreme Court decisions between 1868 and 1874.[11] In the early 20th century, economic and political forces led to a decline in Juneteenth
Juneteenth celebrations. From 1890 to 1908, Texas
Texas and all former Confederate states passed new constitutions or amendments that effectively disenfranchised black people, excluding them from the political process. White-dominated state legislatures passed Jim Crow laws imposing second-class status. The Great Depression
Great Depression forced many black people off farms and into the cities to find work. In these urban environments, African Americans
African Americans had difficulty taking the day off to celebrate. The Second Great Migration began during World War II, when many black people migrated to the West Coast where skilled jobs in the defense industry were opening up.[12] From 1940 through 1970, in the second wave of the Great Migration, more than 5 million black people left Texas, Louisiana and other parts of the South for the North and West Coast. As historian Isabel Wilkerson
Isabel Wilkerson writes, "The people from Texas
Texas took Juneteenth
Juneteenth Day to Los Angeles, Oakland, Seattle, and other places they went."[13] By the 1950s and 1960s, the Civil Rights Movement
Civil Rights Movement focused the attention of African-American youth on the struggle for racial equality and the future. But, many linked these struggles to the historical struggles of their ancestors. Following the 1968 Poor People's Campaign to Washington D.C. called by Rev. Ralph Abernathy, many attendees returned home and initiated Juneteenth
Juneteenth celebrations in areas where the day was not previously celebrated. Since the 1980s and 1990s, the holiday has been more widely celebrated among African-American communities. In 1994 a group of community leaders gathered at Christian Unity Baptist Church in New Orleans, Louisiana to work for greater national celebration of Juneteenth.[14] Paul Herring Chairman of The Juneteenth
Juneteenth Committee credits Mrs. E. Hill Deloney (Community Matriarch) for starting the celebration in Flint, Michigan in the late 1980s; as he said, "...It's a time to Reflect & Rejoice, because we are the children of those who chose to survive."[15] Juneteenth
Juneteenth informal observance have spread to many other states, including Portland, Maine, in part carried by Texans. Expatriates have celebrated it in cities abroad, such as Paris.[15] Some US military bases in other countries sponsor celebrations, in addition to those of private groups.[15][16] Organizations such as the National Juneteenth
Juneteenth Observance Foundation are working toward gaining Congressional approval to designate Juneteenth
Juneteenth as a national day of observance.[8] Others[who?] are working to have its 150th anniversary celebrated worldwide. Official status[edit] In 1980, Texas
Texas was the first state to establish Juneteenth
Juneteenth as a state holiday under legislation introduced by freshman Democratic state representative Al Edwards.[17] Juneteenth
Juneteenth is a "skeleton crew" day in the state; government offices do not close but agencies may operate with reduced staff. By 2008, nearly half of US states observed the holiday as a ceremonial observance.[7] As of May 2016, when the Maryland legislature approved official recognition of the holiday, 45 of the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia have recognized Juneteenth
Juneteenth as either a state holiday or ceremonial holiday, a day of observance.[18] States that do not recognize it are Hawaii, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota and South Dakota.[19] In 1996 the first legislation to recognize " Juneteenth
Juneteenth Independence Day" was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, H.J. Res. 195, sponsored by Barbara-Rose Collins
Barbara-Rose Collins (D-MI). In 1997 Congress recognized the day through Senate Joint Resolution 11 and House Joint Resolution 56. In 2013 the U.S. Senate passed Senate Resolution 175, acknowledging Lula Briggs Galloway (late president of the National Association of Juneteenth
Juneteenth Lineage) who "successfully worked to bring national recognition to Juneteenth
Juneteenth Independence Day", and the continued leadership of the National Juneteenth
Juneteenth Observance Foundation.[20] In 2018 Apple added Juneteenth
Juneteenth to its calendars in iOS under official US holidays.[citation needed] See also[edit]

African American
African American portal Texas
Texas portal

Slavery
Slavery in the United States Emancipation
Emancipation Day Negro Election Day History of African Americans
African Americans in Texas 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution Serfs Emancipation
Emancipation Day

References[edit]

^ " Juneteenth
Juneteenth Celebrated in Coachella". Black Voice News. June 22, 2011. Archived from the original on January 22, 2012.  ^ "Juneteenth". Merriam Webster Dictionary. Retrieved May 30, 2013.  ^ "National Observance of Juneteenth
Juneteenth is Still a Struggle". Retrieved June 13, 2017.  ^ Taylor, 2002. pp. 28–29. ^ "How to Celebrate". Juneteenth.com. Retrieved June 19, 2014. [self-published source] ^ "Mascogos. Siempre listos para partir". El Universal (in Spanish). 19 September 2016. Retrieved 31 July 2017. Sin embargo, la fiesta de la comunidad es el 19 de junio —el Juneteenth
Juneteenth Day en Estados Unidos— el día que los esclavos de Galveston, Texas, supieron que eran libres.  ^ a b c Cruz, Gilbert (June 18, 2008). "A Brief History of Juneteenth". Time magazine. Retrieved May 30, 2013.  ^ a b c d e Gates, Henry Louis, Jr. "What Is Juneteenth?". The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross. PBS. Originally posted on The Root. Retrieved September 30, 2014.  ^ a b Barr (1996), p. 24. ^ a b c "Juneteenth". Texas
Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Retrieved July 6, 2006.  ^ Campbell, Randolph (1984). "The End of Slavery
Slavery in Texas: A Research Note". Southwestern Historical Quarterly. 88 (1): 71–80.  ^ Adams, Luther (2010-11-29). Way Up North in Louisville: African American Migration in the Urban South, 1930-1970. Univ of North Carolina Press. ISBN 9780807899434.  ^ Wilkerson, Isabel (2010). The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration. New York: Random House. Retrieved June 19, 2015.  ^ Chandler, D.L. (June 19, 2012). "Juneteenth: Celebrating The Early Moments Of Freedom Today". News One. Retrieved June 19, 2014.  ^ a b c Moskin, Julie (June 18, 2004). "An Obscure Texas
Texas Celebration Makes Its Way Across the U.S." The New York Times. Retrieved April 28, 2011.  ^ "The World Celebrates Freedom". Juneteenth.com. Retrieved June 19, 2006.  ^ Dingus, Anne (June 2001). "Once a Texas-only holiday marking the end of slavery, Juneteenth
Juneteenth is now celebrated nationwide with high spirits and hot barbecue". Texas
Texas Monthly. Retrieved October 11, 2013.  ^ "Maryland". Retrieved July 19, 2016.  ^ Brown, Stacy M. (May 30, 2014). " Juneteenth
Juneteenth officially recognized in Maryland". Baltimore Times. Retrieved October 1, 2014.  ^ "S.Res.175 - A resolution observing Juneteenth
Juneteenth Independence Day, June 19, 1865, the day on which slavery finally came to an end in the United States". United States
United States Congress. June 19, 2013. Retrieved June 19, 2015. 

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Juneteenth.

Juneteenth
Juneteenth History, website for Juneteenth
Juneteenth World Wide Celebration JENNIFER SCHUESSLER, "Liberation as Death Sentence", The New York Times, June 11, 2012 Berkeley Juneteenth
Juneteenth Festival, 2014 celebration Juneteenth: Fact Sheet Congressional Research Service Juneteenth
Juneteenth in United States Juneteenth
Juneteenth World Wide Celebration, website for 150th anniversary celebration

v t e

Holidays, observances, and celebrations in the United States

January

New Year's Day
New Year's Day (federal) Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Martin Luther King Jr. Day (federal)

Confederate Heroes Day (TX) Fred Korematsu Day
Fred Korematsu Day (CA, FL, HI, VA) Idaho Human Rights Day (ID) Inauguration Day (federal quadrennial, DC area) Kansas Day (KS) Lee–Jackson Day
Lee–Jackson Day (formerly Lee–Jackson–King Day) (VA) Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee Day (FL) Stephen Foster Memorial Day (36) The Eighth (LA, former federal)

January–February

Super Bowl Sunday

February American Heart Month Black History Month

Washington's Birthday/Presidents' Day (federal) Valentine's Day

Georgia Day (GA) Groundhog Day Lincoln's Birthday
Lincoln's Birthday (CA, CT, IL, IN, MO, NJ, NY, WV) National Girls and Women in Sports Day National Freedom Day (36) Primary Election Day (WI) Ronald Reagan Day
Ronald Reagan Day (CA) Rosa Parks Day
Rosa Parks Day (CA, MO) Susan B. Anthony Day
Susan B. Anthony Day (CA, FL, NY, WI, WV, proposed federal)

February–March

Mardi Gras

Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday (religious) Courir de Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras (religious) Super Tuesday

March Irish-American Heritage Month National Colon Cancer Awareness Month Women's History Month

St. Patrick's Day (religious) Spring break
Spring break (week)

Casimir Pulaski Day
Casimir Pulaski Day (IL) Cesar Chavez Day
Cesar Chavez Day (CA, CO, TX, proposed federal) Evacuation Day (Suffolk County, MA) Harriet Tubman Day
Harriet Tubman Day (NY) Holi
Holi (NY, religious) Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras (AL (in two counties), LA) Maryland Day
Maryland Day (MD) National Poison Prevention Week
National Poison Prevention Week (week) Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole Day (HI) Saint Joseph's Day
Saint Joseph's Day (religious) Seward's Day (AK) Texas
Texas Independence Day (TX) Town Meeting Day (VT)

March–April

Easter
Easter (religious)

Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday (religious) Passover
Passover (religious) Good Friday
Good Friday (CT, NC, PR, religious) Easter
Easter Monday (religious)

April Confederate History Month

420 Day April Fools' Day Arbor Day Confederate Memorial Day
Confederate Memorial Day (AL, MS) Days of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust
Days of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust (week) Earth Day Emancipation
Emancipation Day (DC) Thomas Jefferson's Birthday
Jefferson's Birthday (AL) Pascua Florida (FL) Patriots' Day
Patriots' Day (MA, ME) San Jacinto Day
San Jacinto Day (TX) Siblings Day Walpurgis Night
Walpurgis Night (religious)

May Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Jewish American Heritage Month

Memorial Day
Memorial Day (federal) Mother's Day (36) Cinco de Mayo

Harvey Milk Day
Harvey Milk Day (CA) Law Day (36) Loyalty Day (36) Malcolm X Day
Malcolm X Day (CA, IL, proposed federal) May Day Military Spouse Day National Day of Prayer
National Day of Prayer (36) National Defense Transportation Day (36) National Maritime Day (36) Peace Officers Memorial Day
Memorial Day (36) Truman Day
Truman Day (MO)

June Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month

Father's Day (36)

Bunker Hill Day
Bunker Hill Day (Suffolk County, MA) Carolina Day
Carolina Day (SC) Emancipation
Emancipation Day In Texas
Texas / Juneteenth
Juneteenth (TX) Flag Day (36, proposed federal) Helen Keller Day
Helen Keller Day (PA) Honor America Days (3 weeks) Jefferson Davis Day
Jefferson Davis Day (AL, FL) Kamehameha Day
Kamehameha Day (HI) Odunde Festival
Odunde Festival (Philadelphia, PA) Senior Week (week) West Virginia Day
West Virginia Day (WV)

July

Independence Day (federal)

Lā Hoʻihoʻi Ea (HI, unofficial) Parents' Day
Parents' Day (36) Pioneer Day (UT)

July–August

Summer vacation

August

American Family Day (AZ) Barack Obama Day
Barack Obama Day (IL) Bennington Battle Day (VT) Hawaii Admission Day / Statehood Day (HI) Lyndon Baines Johnson Day
Lyndon Baines Johnson Day (TX) National Aviation Day
National Aviation Day (36) Service Reduction Day (MD) Victory over Japan Day (RI, former federal) Women's Equality Day
Women's Equality Day (36)

September Prostate Cancer Awareness Month

Labor Day
Labor Day (federal)

California Admission Day
California Admission Day (CA) Carl Garner Federal Lands Cleanup Day (36) Constitution Day (36) Constitution Week (week) Defenders Day
Defenders Day (MD) Gold Star Mother's Day
Gold Star Mother's Day (36) National Grandparents Day
National Grandparents Day (36) National Payroll Week (week) Native American Day (CA, TN, proposed federal) Patriot Day
Patriot Day (36)

September–October Hispanic Heritage Month

Oktoberfest

Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah (religious) Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur (religious)

October Breast Cancer Awareness Month Disability Employment Awareness Month Filipino American History Month LGBT History Month

Columbus Day
Columbus Day (federal) Halloween

Alaska Day (AK) Child Health Day (36) General Pulaski Memorial Day German-American Day Indigenous Peoples' Day
Indigenous Peoples' Day (VT) International Day of Non-Violence Leif Erikson Day
Leif Erikson Day (36) Missouri Day (MO) National School Lunch Week Native American Day (SD) Nevada Day
Nevada Day (NV) Sweetest Day White Cane Safety Day
White Cane Safety Day (36)

October–November

Diwali
Diwali (religious)

November Native American Indian Heritage Month

Veterans Day
Veterans Day (federal) Thanksgiving (federal)

Day after Thanksgiving (24) Election Day (CA, DE, HI, KY, MT, NJ, NY, OH, PR, WV, proposed federal) Family Day (NV) Hanukkah
Hanukkah (religious) Lā Kūʻokoʻa (HI, unofficial) Native American Heritage Day (MD, WA) Obama Day
Obama Day (Perry County, AL)

December

Christmas
Christmas (religious, federal)

Alabama Day (AL) Christmas
Christmas Eve (KY, NC, SC) Day after Christmas
Christmas (KY, NC, SC, TX) Festivus Hanukkah
Hanukkah (religious, week) Indiana Day
Indiana Day (IN) Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa (religious, week) National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day (36) New Year's Eve Pan American Aviation Day (36) Rosa Parks Day
Rosa Parks Day (OH, OR) Wright Brothers Day (36)

Varies (year round)

Eid al-Adha
Eid al-Adha (religious) Eid al-Fitr
Eid al-Fitr (religious) Ramadan
Ramadan (religious, month)

Legend: (federal) = federal holidays, (state) = state holidays, (religious) = religious holidays, (week) = weeklong holidays, (month) = monthlong holidays, (36) = Title 36 Observances and Ceremonies Bold indicates major holidays commonly celebrated in the United States, which often represent the major celebrations of the month. See also: Lists of holidays, Hallmark holidays, public holidays in the United States, New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands.

v t e

Texas
Texas in the American Civil War

Origins

History of slavery in Texas

1861

Ordinance of Secession

1862

Marshall Conferences Nueces Massacre Battle of Corpus Christi First Battle of Sabine Pass Battle of Galveston
Battle of Galveston Harbor (1862) Great Hanging at Gainesville

1863

Battle of Galveston Second Battle of Sabine Pass Battle of Brownsville

1864

Battle of Laredo

1865

Battle of Dove Creek Battle of Palmito Ranch

Units

Confederate units Union units

Aftermath

Juneteenth Texas
Texas v. White Andrew Hamilton