A Brief History of Juneteenth

Originally published inThe Belton Journal prior to the availability of their digital archive

Juneteenth, short for June Nineteenth, is a holiday that is celebrated in many states across America—in fact, it has been celebrated in Texas for over a hundred and fifty years. While the holiday is widely publicized every year throughout the month of June, it is good to reflect on what the day actually commemorates and why it is an important day to remember, especially for Texans.

In January 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which demanded freedom for slaves in the country; however, not all slaves were immediately freed as a result, particularly in Texas. In fact, according to an article on history.com, many slave owners fled to Texas so that they could continue to practice slave ownership because of the lack of Union troops in the state at that time.

However, on June 19, 1865, well over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation supposedly freed all American slaves, General Gordon Granger and the Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to enforce Lincoln’s proclamation and to ensure that all slaves there—over 250,000 of them—were given their freedom. According to an article on nationaltoday.com, General Granger informed the slaves, many of whom were unaware of the Emancipation Proclamation’s existence, that they were finally free by reading the General Order No. 3 to them. This order stated that “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.”

This incredible and vastly overdue news prompted many celebrations among the newly freed Black people, and it became an annual celebration that they called Jubilee Day. This celebration would later become known as Juneteenth, and it is still celebrated every year with music, food, and activities in 47 states across the country. Thus, June 19 is an immensely important day to commemorate every year so that we never forget the slaves in Texas who were finally given their freedom on that momentous day in 1865.