The history of Juneteenth!<[link removed]>
Celebrating Juneteenth!

On January 1, 1863 the Emancipation Proclamation<[link removed]> was issued by Abraham Lincoln. This important document declared that the slaves in the Confederate states (those rebelling against the US government) were free.


However, southern states continued to hold people in slavery until the end of the Civil War<[link removed]>. When the war ended in May 1865, the freeing of slaves was more easily enforced by US troops.


During the Civil War, there were about 250,000 slaves<[link removed]> in Texas–most of whom did not know of the Emancipation Proclamation or the ending of the war. When Major

General Gordon Granger<[link removed]> arrived in Galveston on June 19, 1865, he announced this news in General Order Number 3<[link removed]>.


Texas began observing June 19th ("Juneteenth") annually with various festivities<[link removed]> such as picnics, barbecues, and thanksgiving celebrations. It became a Texas state holiday in 1979<[link removed]> and eventually spread across the nation. Juneteenth is now recognized<[link removed]> as a federal holiday<[link removed]>.


Although Juneteenth was not the end of slavery in America, it was an important step in ending slavery

in Texas. The Thirteenth Amendment<[link removed]>, passed in<[link removed]> January and ratified<[link removed]> in December of 1865, officially ended slavery for the whole nation.


Today try to find Juneteenth celebrations in your area. Let's celebrate this major announcement in ending slavery!
Presenting America’s forgotten history and heroes
with an emphasis on our moral, religious and constitutional heritage.

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