On June 19th, 1865, Union Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Texas to deliver a life-changing message. All slaves were now free.
This day would later become known to the country as Juneteenth.
Juneteenth commemorates the date Granger told the enslaved people of Texas about the end of the Civil War, the Union’s success, and its ability to enforce the end of slavery.
Historians say before this message, slave owners in the confederacy chose not to inform enslaved people about Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.
This means more than 250,000 African-Americans were still enslaved after the proclamation.
After they were freed, slaves and their descendants traveled to Texas annually in honor of Juneteenth.
It’s a celebration that soon spread to other states.
This Juneteenth, you can mark the occasion by learning more about just what this day means to our country
Educational Resources
What is Juneteenth?
