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The history and significance of Juneteenth


Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG via Getty Images

The history and significance of Juneteenth

Young people celebrate at a Juneteenth celebration at a park in Riverside, California



The Galveston Daily News // Wikimeda Commons

Juneteenth commemorates the 1865 delivery of General Order #3

Excerpt from The Galveston Daily News with Order No. 3 text and illustration of General Gordon Granger



Theodore Kaufmann // Wikimedia Commons

Chattel slavery in all states wasn’t abolished until the end of 1865

Theodore Kaufmann painting ‘On to Liberty’



Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper // Library of Congress

Juneteenth celebrations originated in Galveston, Texas, starting in 1866

Illustration of Emancipation Day Celebration in South Carolina



Houston Public Library Digital Archives // Wikimedia Commons

The first land to commemorate and celebrate the event was purchased in 1872 and is now a public park

Group photograph of Juneteenth Celebration at Emancipation Park



University of North Texas Libraries // Wikimedia Commons

South Dakota was the last state to make Juneteenth a legal holiday

Emancipation Day Celebration band



Interim Archives // Getty Images

Juneteenth has been celebrated in Mexico for more than 150 years

Map depicting Status Of Slavery In The United States 1775 – 1865



Detroit Publishing Company // Library of Congress

The last enslaved people in the US weren’t adopted as citizens until 1885

Emancipation Day celebration in Richmond, Virginia



Moab Republic // Shutterstock

Festivities became more commercialized in the 1920s during the Great Migration

African American History Memorial at State Capitol in Austin, Texas



Tamir Kalifa // Getty Images

Juneteenth officially became a Texas state holiday in 1980

A Texas flag is displayed in front of the State Capitol building



Drew Angerer // Getty Images

Juneteenth wasn’t recognized as a federal holiday until 2021

President Joe Biden signs the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law


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