By Juneteenth: Faith & Freedom | A Documentary from @ourdailybread Voices Collection
Juneteenth, celebrated annually on June 19th, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the end of slavery. The name Juneteenth combines “June” and “nineteenth”. It is also known as Freedom Day, Emancipation Day, Jubilee Day, and Black Independence Day.
History:
- While President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, it wasn’t until June 19, 1865, that Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, and issued General Order No. 3, announcing to the enslaved African Americans in the state that they were free.
- Texas, being the farthest of the Confederate states, experienced delayed enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation.
- Juneteenth marks this day as the effective end of slavery in the US, especially for those in Texas.
- It’s important to note that the Emancipation Proclamation didn’t end slavery nationwide; it primarily applied to the Confederate states. Slavery was officially abolished throughout the US with the ratification of the 13th Amendment in December 1865.
- The first Juneteenth celebration took place in Texas in 1866. It spread across the South and beyond as African Americans migrated to other parts of the country
