Juneteenth, short for June Nineteenth, is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States. While many Americans associate the abolition of slavery with President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, Juneteenth marks the day enslaved people in Texas finally learned they were free—more than two years later.
On January 1, 1863, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring that all enslaved people in Confederate states “shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.” However, enforcement of the proclamation relied on the advance of Union troops.
Texas, isolated and still under Confederate control, was the last stronghold of institutional slavery. It wasn’t until June 19, 1865, that Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, with Union forces and issued General Order No. 3, announcing the freedom of more than 250,000 enslaved people in Texas.
For decades, Juneteenth was primarily celebrated in Black communities, particularly in Texas. It became an official state holiday in Texas in 1980, thanks to the efforts of activist and legislator Al Edwards, who championed its recognition.
Over time, Juneteenth celebrations spread across the United States, reflecting growing awareness of the country’s complex racial history. In June 2021, President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, making it the 11th federal holiday and the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was established in 1983.
Texas is not just the birthplace of Juneteenth—it’s the heart of the story. The state’s geographic isolation allowed slavery to continue well beyond the rest of the Confederacy, and many slaveholders moved to Texas during the Civil War to avoid emancipation. As a result, freedom came last in Texas.
