06/19/2026
A Brief History of Emancipation, Juneteenth, and the End of Slavery
On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring that enslaved people in the Confederate states "shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free." While it did not immediately free all enslaved people, it changed the purpose of the Civil War and paved the way for the abolition of slavery.
As Union forces advanced through the South, emancipation was enforced in areas brought under Union control. However, in Texasâfar from many of the major battles and with limited Union presenceâslavery continued in practice even after the Civil War ended.
On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced General Order No. 3, informing enslaved people that they were free. This day became known as Juneteenth, combining "June" and "nineteenth."
Later that year, on December 6, 1865, the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, officially abolishing slavery throughout the United States.
Today, Juneteenth is recognized as a federal holiday commemorating freedom, emancipation, and the final enforcement of the end of slavery in the United States.
As some Texans jokingly put it:
"Juneteenth is the day Texas finally got the memo."
While the history is way more complex than that, "Juneteenth" serves as an important reminder that the laws of freedom often took time to reach every corner of our great nation.
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