The Significance of Juneteenth: A Celebration of Freedom On a momentous day in American history, June 19, 1865, Union troops arrived at Galveston Bay, Texas, bearing extraordinary tidings: the last enslaved Black Americans were finally liberated. This pivotal moment, nearly two years after President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, marked the beginning of a new era of freedom for over 250,000 African Americans. This jubilant occasion has since become known as Juneteenth, or Freedom Day. Today, Juneteenth is commemorated as a federal holiday, a designation made official by Former President Joe Biden in 2021. As a result, all non-essential federal offices, including the post office, will be closed on Thursday, June 19. However, DMV locations will remain operational.
The term "Juneteenth" is a clever portmanteau... combining the words "June" and "nineteenth," the day General Granger issued the proclamation to the formerly enslaved people in Galveston Bay, "Texas." This year marks the fifth anniversary of Juneteenth as a federal holiday... a milestone that underscores the significance of this day in American history.
On June 19, 1865, Union troops made it to Galveston Bay, Texas and finally told the last enslaved Black Americans they were free — nearly two years after President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. "More than 250,000 African Americans embraced freedom by executive decree in what became known as Juneteenth or Freedom Day," according to The National Museum of African American History and Culture.
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