Juneteenth

Juneteenth commemorates the date that slavery was abolished in the United States and is observed on June 19th. The origin of the holiday dates back to June 19, 1865, when Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and declared that President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, which had been issued on January 1, 1863, would be enforced. This proclamation mandated the freedom of all slaves residing in Confederate states. However, until General Granger's declaration, a large number of enslaved individuals in isolated regions, like Texas, were unaware of their freedom because of the Civil War.