Juneteenth 2023: Date, History, Americans who Fought for Equality

On June 19, the Juneteenth holiday commemorates the emancipation of African-American slaves in 1865 in the United States. Juneteenth is comprised of the terms ‘June’ and ‘nineteenth,’ and commemorates the day in 1865 when Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Texas to inform slaves that slavery had been abolished.

The background of Juneteenth

Juneteenth is the earliest nationally celebrated commemoration of the abolition of slavery in the United States, according to the official website for the historical event. Juneteenth functions as an opportunity for African Americans to celebrate their culture and heritage, in addition to being a significant date in American history.

More than 155 years old, Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery for African Americans in the United States. On this day in 1865, Union Army Major General Gordon Granger landed in Texas and delivered the news that the Civil War had ended and that all slaves were free.

President Abraham Lincoln issued the proclamation abolishing slavery on January 1, 1863, during the third year of the nation’s ongoing civil war. Known as the Emancipation Proclamation, it declared that “all persons held as slaves within any state or designated portion of a state […] shall be free immediately, henceforth, and forever.” Granger arrived in Texas to enforce this decree, which had been in effect for two years prior to his arrival.

More than 250,000 slaves in Texas who were oblivious of the news were shocked.

On June 19, in the city of Galveston, Granger publicly read General Order No. 3, which stated: “The people of Texas are hereby notified that, pursuant to a proclamation from the United States Executive, all slaves are free.”

Various explanations exist for why the news of the abolition of slavery reached Texas so late. According to one account, the emissary carrying the news was murdered while travelling. Some historians believe that slave owners in Texas intentionally withheld the Emancipation Proclamation report so they could continue business as usual and keep the labour force employed. Historians also observe that Texas remained a Confederate state until 1865, meaning that Lincoln’s proclamation could not have been implemented until Robert E. Lee surrendered and the Union Army took control.

Regardless, Granger’s arrival with the wonderful news sparked jubilation and enormous celebrations across the state. In the book “Lone Star Pasts: Memory and History in Texas,” a former slave named Felix Haywood recounted the first celebration in 1865: “We were all walking on golden clouds […] Everyone went wild […] We were free.” Instantaneously, we were liberated.’

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5 COURAGEOUS AMERICANS WHO FOUGHT FOR EQUALITY

Martin Luther King Jr., D.D.

Dr. King delivered the renowned “I Have a Dream” speech in August 1963; his assassination in 1968 demonstrated that the civil rights movement still had much to accomplish.

Rosa Parks

Parks made a daring statement for African Americans in the South by refusing to give up her seat on a public bus; her arrest in December 1955 inspired the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Mildred Loving

In 1958, Mildred Loving Loving and her husband, Richard, were jailed for unlawful cohabitation in Virginia, where interracial marriage was prohibited. In 1967, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled in their favour.

The historical figure Frederick Douglass

Douglass, an emancipated slave, advocated for the abolition of slavery and women’s rights.

Dred Scott

African Americans were enslaved by Dred Scott In 1857, Dred Scott sued for the liberation of his family, but the Supreme Court ruled against him, determining that no one of African descent could claim U.S. citizenship.

JUNETEENTH DATES