Juneteenth marks the day—June 19, 1865—when enslaved people in Texas were officially told they were free, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, and it has since become a major celebration of Black freedom and culture in the United States.

What happened on Juneteenth in 1865?

  • On June 19, 1865, Union Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, with federal troops near the end of the Civil War.
  • He issued General Order No. 3, announcing that, by order of the U.S. government, “all slaves are free” in Texas.
  • This announcement reached many of the last enslaved people in the former Confederacy, whose freedom had been law on paper since the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 but was not enforced in remote areas like Texas until Union forces arrived.
  • Reactions ranged from shock and disbelief to immediate celebrations with prayer, feasting, music, and dancing, which became the foundation of annual Juneteenth festivities.

Why it took so long

  • The Emancipation Proclamation (effective January 1, 1863) declared enslaved people in rebelling Confederate states free, but it depended on Union military power to actually enforce it.
  • Texas was geographically distant, had relatively few Union troops, and some enslavers moved there during the war to evade emancipation, so slavery effectively continued until federal forces arrived in mid‑1865.
  • Granger’s order in Galveston symbolized the practical end of slavery for many in the westernmost Confederate region, even though the Thirteenth Amendment—abolishing slavery nationwide—was not ratified until December 1865.

How Juneteenth became a holiday

  • The first Juneteenth celebration took place in Texas on June 19, 1866, with prayer services, speeches, singing, and community gatherings to remember emancipation.
  • Over time, as Black families migrated out of Texas, they carried Juneteenth traditions to other states, turning it into a wider African American celebration of freedom and resilience.
  • During the civil rights era, activists used Juneteenth events to highlight unfinished struggles for equality, including major demonstrations that invoked its symbolism of liberation and justice.
  • After the 2020 racial justice protests, Juneteenth gained renewed national attention, and in 2021 it was recognized as a federal holiday in the United States, officially known as Juneteenth National Independence Day.

What happens on Juneteenth today?

  • Communities across the U.S. hold festivals, parades, concerts, lectures, and church services that blend remembrance of slavery with celebration of Black culture, art, and achievement.
  • Common elements include barbecues, family reunions, historical reenactments, readings of General Order No. 3 or the Emancipation Proclamation, and educational events on Black history and civil rights.
  • Some institutions—schools, universities, tech companies, and local governments—use the day for teach‑ins, discussions on racial justice, and service projects, treating it as both a holiday and a day of reflection.

A typical scene: families in a city park on June 19, with food, live music, children’s activities, and a moment of silence or prayer to honor ancestors who lived and died under slavery.

Why Juneteenth still matters

  • Juneteenth is often described as a “second Independence Day” because it centers the freedom of formerly enslaved people and the ongoing fight to make American ideals real for everyone.
  • The day recognizes both the delay between law and reality—freedom declared in 1863 but not enforced in Texas until 1865—and the continuing gap between formal rights and lived equality.
  • Modern discussions around Juneteenth intersect with debates over racial justice, policing, voting rights, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), with supporters seeing the holiday as a platform to push for broader reforms.

TL;DR: On June 19, 1865, Union troops reached Galveston, Texas, and announced that enslaved people there were free, enforcing emancipation in one of the last holdout regions; those first celebrations grew into Juneteenth, now a U.S. federal holiday honoring the end of slavery and the ongoing struggle for Black freedom.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.