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History of Juneteenth

woman looking at exhibitOn June 19, 1865 Union General Gordon Granger led his troops into Galveston, Texas and announced the end of slavery in the United States. The General’s Order Number 3 came two years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation and two months after Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union troops but was the first two enslaved people in Galveston, Texas were told of their freedom. The news prompted celebrations including music, food, dances, family picnics and eventually parades marked the annual recognition of the end of slavery in the United States. Marking the date that the last enslaved people learned of their freedom the words June and nineteenth were combined and the annual celebrations were called Juneteenth.

Juneteenth is an official holiday recognized in over 40 states and the District of Columbia.


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