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When Did Juneteenth Start? A Look Back at the History of the Holiday
- On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers led by Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce the freedom of enslaved people there.
- This announcement came more than two years after President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation declaring slaves in Confederate states free on January 1, 1863.
- Granger’s Order Number 3 informed about freedom for an estimated 250,000 enslaved people in Texas, marking the origin of the Juneteenth celebration, which spread nationally over time.
- On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden enacted legislation officially recognizing Juneteenth as a federal holiday, marking the first addition of a new federal holiday in roughly 40 years since the creation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
- Juneteenth remains a day to recognize the legacy of slavery, promote Black resilience, and encourage national dialogue about the country’s complex history of freedom and justice.
13 Articles
13 Articles
When did Juneteenth start? A look back at the history of the holiday
The hard-won freedom of enslaved people and the enduring progress of the African American community will be celebrated across the nation on Juneteenth – the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery.
The meaning and history behind Juneteenth
Thursday, June 19, 2025, marks the fifth year that the holiday known as Juneteenth is celebrated nationwide. President Joe Biden made the federal holiday official when he signed the Juneteenth National Independence Act into law on June 17, 2021.
Celebrating Juneteenth across San Diego County
Americans will celebrate Juneteenth on Thursday, marking the day when the last enslaved people in the United States learned they were free. For generations, Black Americans have recognized the end of one of the darkest chapters in U.S. history with joy, in the form of parades, street festivals, musical performances or cookouts. The U.S. government was slow to embrace the occasion — it was only in 2021 that President Joe Biden signed a bill passe…
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