Juneteenth is a very important day in American history. The word "Juneteenth" is a combination of "June" and "nineteenth," which is the day in 1865 when the Union Army established authority over Texas. The Civil War which ended in May 1865, brought freedom to all African Americans in the territory of the United States. Its law provided for following the federal law even before it was official. Thats one reason why Granger and his Union army came to Texas more than two months after the end of the warand over two years after the Emancipation Proclamationto make sure slave owners were following the new law and letting enslaved people go free. In 1945, Juneteenth was introduced in San Francisco by a migrant from Texas, Wesley Johnson. Seventy thousand people attended a "Juneteenth Jamboree" in 1951. Juneteenth (full name Juneteenth National Independence Day, also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, and Liberation Day) is a holiday in the United States on June 19. Please note: Text within images is not translated, some features may not work properly after translation, and the translation may not accurately convey the intended meaning. Stream the best of PBS. President Abraham Lincolns Anti-Slavery stance caused many southern states to leave the Union and seek independence. Members of the SambaFunk! They spread across the South and became more commercialized in the 1920s and 1930s, often centering on a food festival. What is the Historical Background and Context. The Juneteenth flag is blue and white with a white star in the middle; surrounding the star is an outline of a bursting star. It is also called Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day and Emancipation day and it celebrates the abolishment of Slavery. The modern holiday places much emphasis upon teaching about African-American heritage. Support your local PBS station in our mission to inspire, enrich, and educate. It was very sad and not right. With its adoption in parts of Mexico, the holiday has become an international holiday. History of Juneteenth. Juneteenth is a state or ceremonial holiday in all states except Hawaii, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The flag we see today is the work of artist Lisa Jeanne Graf, who modified the original Juneteenth flag created in 1997 by Ben Haith, the founder of the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF). But many slave owners didnt want to see this change come. After translating an article, all tools except font up/font down will be disabled. In 1991, there was an exhibition by the Anacostia Community Museum (part of the Smithsonian Institution) called "Juneteenth '91, Freedom Revisited." Britannica does not review the converted text. border-radius:3px; https://historyforkids.org/juneteenth-facts-information-for-kids/. R44865 Juneteenth: Fact Sheet May 30, 2023 Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in the United States. Texas was the first state to recognize the date by enacted law, in 1980. The holiday is celebrated on June 19. Around 30,000 people attended festivities at Sycamore Park in Fort Worth the following year. It's the first new one since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was declared in 1983. Celebratory traditions often include public readings of the Emancipation Proclamation, singing traditional songs such as "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and "Lift Every Voice and Sing", and the reading of works by noted African-American writers, such as Ralph Ellison and Maya Angelou. When Northern soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, they brought the news that slavery had been abolished. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. The holiday is celebrated on June 19. In June 2019, Governor of Pennsylvania Tom Wolf recognized Juneteenth as a holiday in the state. The day became known as Juneteenth, a word created by. In 1936, an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 people joined the holiday's celebration in Dallas. South Dakota Georgia Mississippi Texas Q.4 Which U.S. president finally brought an end to slavery? It is considered the longest-running holiday in African American and Black communities, and was often observed with community celebrationson the third Saturday in June. The last amendment was ratified in 1870. It was the date that the news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached the freed slaves in one of the furthest edges of the Union at the time. It's also often called Emancipation Day or Freedom Day. Their voting rights were challenged either by intimidation or by exclusion due to illiteracy and other disabilities. 117-17) on June17, 2021, making Juneteenth the eleventh American federal holiday and the first to obtain legal observance as a federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was designated in 1983. For young children, you can share that Juneteenth is a holiday that celebrates freedom for all people in the United States. In some other cases, violence and intimidation were used. This page was last modified on 17 June 2023, at 13:05. Juneteenth is a June 19 holiday observed by Americans, especially in Black communities, as a celebration of the end of slavery in the United States. We see the same colors as the USA flag to acknowledge that formerly enslaved people and their descendants are Americans. In 2021, President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, making June 19 a federal holiday. What are some other facts kids should know about Juneteenth? Many more Americans have learned about Juneteenth and an increasing number of companies and organizations have announced they will observe the day as a holiday. Finally, on June 19th, 1865, Union Major General Gordon Granger arrived on the island of Galveston and issued General Order no. Juneteenth is a day to remember and honor the freedom of African Americans. Colonel George Hardy, Black Quilters: Historians and Memory Keepers. The following states now celebrate Juneteenth: Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming and also Washington D.C. People celebrate Juneteenth in many different ways, including hosting BBQs, reading poems, singing songs, and participating in various activities. The holiday gained mainstream awareness outside African-American communities through depictions in entertainment media, such as episodes of TV series Atlanta (2016) and Black-ish (2017), the latter of which featured musical numbers about the holiday by Aloe Blacc, The Roots, and Fonzworth Bentley. The name blends the month and the day this news reached the people of Galveston: June plus nineteenth is Juneteenth. President Lincoln refused to acknowledge the southern states as an independent nation. The independence of African Americans in Texas was given final legal status in a series of Texas Supreme Court decisions from 1868 through 1874. Gretchen Whitmer signed Senate Bill 50 designating June 19 as a . President Joe Biden signed the bill (Pub.L. Texas was one of them. As of July 1, 2022, 21 states and the District of Columbia have made Juneteenth a paid state holiday, with the remainder maintaining a ceremonial observance. In 2021, Juneteenth became recognized as a federal holiday in the United States. Nonetheless, slowly and steadily many slaves were freed and they began looking for their family or moved to the more friendly northern states. Karen M. Thomas wrote in Emerge that "community leaders have latched on to [Juneteenth] to help instill a sense of heritage and pride in black youth". Improved homework resources designed to support a variety of curriculum subjects and standards. BGCA is a 501(c)3 (nonprofit) organization and donations are tax deductible. It was common for former slaves and their descendants to make a pilgrimage to Galveston. However, slaves were not set free in the Confederacy until Union army was able to come in and take over. Explore the timeline and his own insights on the importance of the holiday. The Current Issue, a Texas periodical, used the word as early as 1909, and that year a book on San Antonio remarked, with condescension, on "June 'teenth'". By 2006, at least 200 cities celebrated the day. In 1997 Lisa Graf created the Juneteenth flag. Many plantation owners from Mississippi and Louisiana migrated to Texas along with their slaves after the capture of New Orleans, to escape the war which increased the enslaved population of Texas by thousands. Cook County, Illinois, adopted an ordinance to make Juneteenth a paid county holiday. font: 700 18px Open Sans,serif;padding:8px 16px; All Rights Reserved. This changed in 1872 when Richard Allen, Richard Brock, Jack Yates, and Elias Dibble from the Freedmens Bureau bought 4 acres of land at $800. " Juneteenth " commemorates the day June 19, 1865 that 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas, and informed the remaining 250,000 enslaved Americans that the Emancipation Proclamation signed by Abraham Lincoln granted them freedom. Juneteenth is a special day that celebrates freedom. The Freedmens Bureau or the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands was the government agency trusted with developing a social system for the former slaves in Texas. Deriving its name from combining "June" and "nineteenth", it is celebrated on the anniversary of General Order No. Juneteenth is also called Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, or Jubilee Day. Juneteenth was made a U.S. federal holiday on June 17, 2021. Juneteenth is a time for reflection, education and most importantly, celebration. It is celebrated on June 19th each year because that is the day that a general rode into Galveston, Texas to spread the word that the Civil War ended, slavery was over, and that enslaved people were free. While some people stayed to work in the new system of employer and hired labor in Texas, many people moved to neighboring states like Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma to live as free people with their families. The Mascogos, the descendants of Black Seminoles who have resided in Coahuila since 1852, also celebrate Juneteenth. Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021 after the U.S. Congress passed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act. Baker did not comment on these bills specifically, but promised to grant the observance of Juneteenth greater importance. The U.S. holiday of Juneteenth celebrates the anniversary of June 19, 1865, when Texas was forced to release its remaining slaves. During the 1968 Poor People's Campaign to Washington, DC, called by Rev. 3, issued by Major General Gordon Granger on June 19, 1865, proclaiming freedom for slaves in Texas. It commemorates the day news of the Emancipation Proclamation (and their subsequent freedom from chattel slavery)reached enslaved people in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865,three years after President Abraham Lincoln had issued the proclamation. Every February, people in the United States celebrate the achievements and history of African Americans as part of Black History Month. This episodefocuses on 3 areas of Fine Print: Voter Suppression, Mass Incarceration, and Policing with a special highlight on the work of leaders pushing for change in these areas. A new, third level of content, designed specially to meet the advanced needs of the sophisticated scholar. Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation in the midst of the Civil War on September 22, 1862, declaring that if the rebels did not end the fighting and rejoin the Union, all slaves in the Confederacy would be freed on the first day of the following year. The holiday quickly spread to other Black communities throughout the country. What is Juneteenth and why is it important? Texas declared Juneteenth as a legal state holiday effective 1980 and was the first to do so. Celebrations include picnics, rodeos, street fairs, cookouts, family reunions, park parties, historical reenactments, blues festivals and Miss Juneteenth contests. 15 19 23 Q.3 What state was Juneteenth first celebrated in? People across the country celebrate Juneteenth by gathering with family and friends for parties, parades, cookouts, rodeos, and readings of the Emancipation Proclamation. The public announcement of the General order no. 2 min read. Whether your family honors Juneteenth every year or youre wondering what is Juneteenth and why is it important? youre in the right place. The blue, red, and white are colors of American unity and heritage and the two stars represent Texas and its emancipation. Our friends (you know, likelocal PBS stations and documentary producers)always, we mean always, have great collections of films to offer. All of the remaining slaves received the news that they were free. By 2021 every other state recognized Juneteenth as a state holiday, a day of observance, or a day of recognition. In this article, we will journey through the story of Juneteenth, exploring its significance and why it is a cause for celebration. Many more Americans have learned about Juneteenth and an increasing number of companies and organizations have announced they will observe the day as a holiday.