Juneteenth
Juneteenth is celebrated on June 19th and is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Juneteenth commemorates African American freedom. This holiday is celebrated in many ways. It is a day, a week, and in some cases a month marked with celebrations. On this special day, many reflect, rejoice, and make plans for the future. Juneteenth is growing in popularity in cities across the country. People of all ethnic groups and religions are joining hands to truthfully acknowledge a period in our history that shaped and influenced our society. For more information see the Juneteenth Fact Sheet.
Juneteenth: Official Holiday Announcement
On Thursday, June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed legislation into law establishing June 19 as Juneteenth National Independence Day. As he signed the bill, President Biden said that this was "one of the greatest honors" of his presidency.
“By making Juneteenth a federal holiday, all Americans can feel the power of this day and learn from our history -- and celebrate progress and grapple with the distance we've come (and) the distance we have to travel," Biden said.
Attending the ceremony were members of the Congressional Black Caucus, local elected officials, community leaders, and activists. Opal Lee, the activist who campaigned to establish Juneteenth as a federal holiday, was also in attendance.
History of Juneteenth
On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that slaves were now free. This took place two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation – which had become official January 1, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops to 
enforce the Proclamation. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the South's resistance.
Some explanations for this two-and-a-half-year delay include the story of a messenger who was murdered on his way to Texas with the news of freedom. Another story is that the news was deliberately withheld by the enslavers to maintain the labor force on the plantations. Still, another explanation is that federal troops actually waited for the slave owners to reap the benefits of one last cotton harvest before going to Texas to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation.
General Granger’s first order of business was to read to the people of Texas, General Order Number 3 which began most significantly with:
"The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired laborer."
The reactions to this news ranged from pure shock to immediate jubilation. Moving and settling into new areas as free men and women brought on new realities and the challenges of establishing a heretofore non-existent status for black people in America. Recounting the memories of that great day in June of 1865 and its festivities would serve as motivation as well as a release from the growing pressures encountered in their new territories.
The celebration of June 19th was coined “Juneteenth” and grew with more participation from descendants. Juneteenth continues to be highly revered in Texas decades later, with many former slaves and descendants making an annual pilgrimage back to Galveston on this date.
Juneteenth Poem
Juneteenth is a joyous holiday, celebrated among friends and family with song, dance, story-telling, food, and prayer. The holiday also commemorates and celebrates timeless truths as well as historic moments. It reflects the universal dreams of freedom and community and celebrates the resilience and steadfastness of the human spirit and the achievements and contributions of African-Americans to this country.
We Rose is one of the official poems which celebrates this day.
Resources
Juneteenth by
On June 19, 1865, slaves in Texas were formally notified that they had been emancipated, or given their freedom. This day became an annual holiday known as Juneteenth, and it is celebrated today with food, fireworks, and community and family parties that commemorate the end of slavery in the United States. Author Angela Leeper explains the history of slavery from the first arrival in Jamestown in 1619 to the end of the Civil War, and describes Juneteenth celebrations held today all across the country. Full-color photographs and a craft section help the reader understand more about Juneteenth, and why all Americans should celebrate freedom.
ISBN: 0766022064Publication Date: 2004-01-01
Juneteenth Texas by
Juneteenth Texas, Publications of the Texas Folklore Society #LIV, received a San Antonio Conservation Society award for the preservation of historic buildings, objects and places relating to the history of Texas and its natural beauty and all that is admirably distinctive of our state, and to educate the public with knowledge of our inherited regional values.
ISBN: 9781574410181Publication Date: 1996-10-01
Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation by
"Prizewinning Lincoln scholar Allen C. Guelzo presents, for the first time, a full scale study of Lincoln's greatest state paper. Using unpublished letters and documents, little-known accounts from Civil War-era newspapers, and Congressional memoirs and correspondence, Guelzo tells the story of the complicated web of statesmen, judges, slaves, and soldiers who accompanied, and obstructed, Abraham Lincoln on the path to the Proclamation."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
ISBN: 0743221826Publication Date: 2004-02-03
Act of Justice by
In his first inaugural address, Abraham Lincoln declared that as president he would "have no lawful right" to interfere with the institution of slavery. Yet less than two years later, he issued a proclamation intended to free all slaves throughout the Confederate states. When critics challenged the constitutional soundness of the act, Lincoln pointed to the international laws and usages of war as the legal basis for his Proclamation, asserting that the Constitution invested the president "with the law of war in time of war." As the Civil War intensified, the Lincoln administration slowly and reluctantly accorded full belligerent rights to the Confederacy under the law of war. This included designating a prisoner of war status for captives, honoring flags of truce, and negotiating formal agreements for the exchange of prisoners--practices that laid the intellectual foundations for emancipation. Once the United States allowed Confederates all the privileges of belligerents under international law, it followed that they should also suffer the disadvantages, including trial by military courts, seizure of property, and eventually the emancipation of slaves. Even after the Lincoln administration decided to apply the law of war, it was unclear whether state and federal courts would agree. After careful analysis, author Burrus M. Carnahan concludes that if the courts had decided that the proclamation was not justified, the result would have been the personal legal liability of thousands of Union officers to aggrieved slave owners. This argument offers further support to the notion that Lincoln's delay in issuing the Emancipation Proclamation was an exercise of political prudence, not a personal reluctance to free the slaves. In Act of Justice, Carnahan contends that Lincoln was no reluctant emancipator; he wrote a truly radical document that treated Confederate slaves as an oppressed people rather than merely as enemy property. In this respect, Lincoln's proclamation anticipated the psychological warfare tactics of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Carnahan's exploration of the president's war powers illuminates the origins of early debates about war powers and the Constitution and their link to international law.
Call Number: EbookISBN: 9780813124636Publication Date: 2007-09-21
Come Juneteenth by
Sis Goose is a beloved member of Luli's family, despite the fact that she was born a slave. But the family is harboring a terrible secret. And when Union soldiers arrive on their Texas plantation to announce that slaves have been declared free for nearly two years, Sis Goose is horrified to learn that the people she called family have lied to her for so long. She runs away--but her newly found freedom has tragic consequences. How could the state of Texas keep the news of the Emancipation Proclamation from reaching slaves? In this riveting Great Episodes historical drama, Ann Rinaldi sheds light on the events that led to the creation of Juneteenth, a celebration of freedom that continues today. Includes an author's note. AUTHOR Ann Rinaldi is an award-winning author best known for bringing history vividly to life. A self-made writer and newspaper columnist for twenty-one years, Ms. Rinaldi attributes her interest in history to her son, who enlisted her to take part in historical reenactments up and down the East Coast *
ISBN: 9780152059477Publication Date: 2007-01-01
Juneteenth festivities
Juneteenth celebrations continue to emphasize African American freedom and achievement while encouraging continuous self-development and respect for all cultures. Celebration activities include rodeos, fishing, baseball, and barbecues. Prayer services are often a major part of this celebration. Certain foods, like strawberry soda, became popular and subsequently synonymous with Juneteenth celebrations. The barbecue pit is often established as the center of attention at Juneteenth celebrations. Meats such as lamb, pork, and beef which were not available every day were brought on this special occasion.
Red foods are customary for Juneteenth, the crimson a symbol of ingenuity and resilience in bondage. Watermelon, Texas Pete hot sauce, and red velvet cake, and strawberry pie are abundant. Spicy hot links on the grill — most commonly made with coarsely ground beef, and artificially dyed red — are a Juneteenth staple.