Juneteenth and Emancipation Day

The History of Juneteenth

Short for June nineteenth, Juneteenth is a commemoration of the day when General Gordon Granger led Union troops into the city of Galveston, Texas in 1865 to assume control of the state and free enslaved people two-and-a-half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Ever since, June 19th has marked the date that slavery finally came to an unofficial end in the United States.

The Emancipation Proclamation, Signed by President Abraham Lincoln, actually went into effect at midnight on January 1, 1863. Per the document, all slaves in Confederate states that were rebelling against the Union “shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.” That declaration only applied to slaves in territories under Confederate control, which meant the document did not actually free anyone overnight.

On “Freedom’s Eve,” or the eve of January 1, 1863, the first Watch Night services took place. On that night, enslaved and free African Americans gathered in churches and private homes all across the country awaiting news that the Emancipation Proclamation had taken effect. At the stroke of midnight, all enslaved people in Confederate States were declared legally free. Union soldiers, many of whom were Black, marched onto plantations and across cities in the south reading small copies of the Emancipation Proclamation spreading the news of freedom in Confederate States. Only through the Thirteenth Amendment did emancipation end slavery throughout the United States.

But not everyone in Confederate territory would immediately be free. Even though the Emancipation Proclamation was made effective in 1863, it could not be implemented in places still under Confederate control. As a result, in the westernmost Confederate state of Texas, enslaved people would not be free until much later. Freedom finally came on June 19, 1865, when some 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas. The army announced that the more than 250,000 enslaved Black people in the state, were free by executive decree. This day came to be known as "Juneteenth," by the newly freed people in Texas.

By the time Granger arrived in Galveston in 1865, an estimated 250,000 people were still enslaved in Texas. With freedom contingent upon the Union winning the Civil War, more than 200,000 Back troops joined the Union army to fight the Confederates and spread the word about freedom among slaves as they fought throughout Louisiana and the rest of the south.

Upon his arrival in the port city on June 19, 1865, Granger read General Order No. 3, which declared, “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor.”

In December of the same year, slavery was officially abolished with the adoption of the 13th Amendment. The year following General Gordon Granger’s announcement, freedmen started celebrating Juneteenth, which is also known as Jubilee Day, Freedom Day, and the country’s Second Independence Day.

However, given Jim Crow laws and racism toward African Americans, Juneteenth celebrations were often held on the outskirts of towns and cities in the holiday’s early years. To ensure they could celebrate their long-awaited freedom safely, some former slaves pooled their money and purchased private land for their planned festivities. Today, some treat this day as a celebration or as a day of reflection - recognizing the impact of the day to Black communities. At the very least this should be a time to learn about the history of this day.

Initial Juneteenth celebrations took many forms. Some included parades, religious services, music, storytelling, dancing, rodeos, and picnics. ?As the Civil Rights movement gained traction in the 1960s, commemorations of Juneteenth took a back seat among members of the African American community. In more recent years, Juneteenth has once again become a widely celebrated holiday among the people of Texas and citizens located throughout the rest of the United States.

In June 2021, Congress passed legislation that designated Juneteenth as a national holiday. On the 17th of that month, President Joe Biden signed that resolution into law.

As a federal holiday, Juneteenth is an annual celebration of the end of enslavement, African American history, and resiliency. The day also raises awareness of issues that continue to impact the African American community, such as racial injustice.

Juneteenth marks the tragedy of enslavement and recognizes the challenges that those who fight injustice continue to face. Juneteenth also marks the full emancipation of African American communities commemorating the humanity of a people.

Juneteenth and Emancipation Day

Although the history of slavery in the United States and Canada is very connected, we do not generally recognize or commemorate Juneteenth in Canada. Instead, we commemorate Emancipation Day in Canada, which is celebrated on August 1st in Canada, the United States, the Caribbean and other former European colonies. In 1985, Trinidad and Tobago became the first country in the world to officially declare a national holiday to recognise the abolition of slavery.

In Canada, Ontario had been the only province to have passed legislation proclaiming August 1st as Emancipation Day. However, in 2021, Emancipation Day was acknowledged federally in Canada on August 1. Emancipation Day is about honouring the past as well as reflecting on our present and preparing for the future.

Sources:

National Museum of African American History & Culture, Smithsonian