06/19/2025
The First Juneteenth:
The Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, declared the freedom of slaves in Confederate territory during the Civil War. While not a universal abolition of slavery, it transformed the war into a fight for human freedom and paved the way for the 13th Amendment.
But not everyone in Confederate territory would immediately be free. Even though the Emancipation Proclamation was made effective in 1863, it could not be implemented in places still under Confederate control. As a result, in the westernmost Confederate state of Texas, enslaved people would not be free until much later. Freedom finally came on June 19, 1865, when some 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas. The army announced that the more than 250,000 enslaved black people in the state, were free by executive decree. This day came to be known as "Juneteenth," by the newly freed people in Texas.
Reactions to freedom from the formerly enslaved ranged from silent disbelief and shock to celebrations filled with prayer, feasting, song, and dance. Those celebrations formed the basis of an annual holiday that would come to have many names, including Emancipation Day, Jubilee Day, and Juneteenth.
Within a few years, as Black Texans moved around the country and spread Juneteenth traditions, communities in other states began celebrating the day as well. Celebrations have continued annually across the United States into the 21st century and typically include prayer and religious services, speeches, parades, educational events, family gatherings and picnics, and festivals with music, dancing, and food.
In 2021, Juneteenth became an official national holiday.