Juneteenth (June 19), also known as Emancipation Day, is an American holiday commemorating the end of chattel slavery. In June 2021, US President Biden signed a bill to establish Juneteenth as a federal holiday amid a year of reckoning on race and the racism that shaped America.
President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation legally freed all enslaved people in 1863, but some slave owners did not comply and continued to hold their slaves captive. The last group of enslaved people, more than 250,000, learned about the end of the Civil War and the end of slavery from Major General Gordon Granger's announcement in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865. As a result, Juneteenth became a symbolic date representing freedom from slavery for Black Americans.
Juneteenth celebrations began in Texas in 1866 and involved parades, prayer gatherings, musical performances, and readings. The photo above was taken in 1900 at a Juneteenth celebration. In 1980, Texas was the first state to legally recognize and commemorate Juneteenth as a holiday. Today, Juneteenth celebrations take place across the US and globally.
Below is a chart that shows the movement to observe Juneteenth. The line is a cumulative count of states that have passed legislation recognizing Juneteenth as a holiday or observance.
Below is a map showing each state's Civil War affiliation. Hovering will show the year Juneteenth was officially observed in that state.
Data credit: Congressional Research Service Juneteenth Factsheet
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