Growing up in Texas, Juneteenth was always a significant celebration. Parades, fireworks, and community events marked the day, deeply ingrained in the local culture. However, moving to new places revealed a surprising lack of awareness about Juneteenth among many. This realization highlighted the importance of sharing the history and significance of this pivotal day in American history.
The story of Juneteenth centers around June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, and proclaimed to the state’s residents that enslaved people were free. This announcement came two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. This naturally leads to the question: why did it take two years for the news of emancipation to reach Texas and for Juneteenth to come about?
To understand the delay, it’s crucial to examine the Emancipation Proclamation itself and the context of the Civil War. Signed by President Lincoln, the Emancipation Proclamation was a landmark declaration, but its immediate impact was geographically limited. It declared enslaved people free only in Confederate-controlled areas that were still in rebellion. Crucially, it did not apply to the slave-holding states within the Union or Confederate areas already under Union control. The Proclamation was fundamentally a war measure, aimed at weakening the Confederacy by depriving it of enslaved labor and bolstering the Union army with newly freed African American soldiers.
The effectiveness of the Emancipation Proclamation was directly tied to the Union Army’s advance. Freedom was not simply granted by a presidential decree; it was achieved through the Union’s military victories and its ability to enforce the Proclamation in Confederate territories. In states like Texas, which were geographically distant from the major battlefronts for much of the Civil War, and where the Union army had a limited presence, Confederate authority remained largely unchallenged for a longer period.
Texas, in fact, became a destination for slaveholders from other Confederate states seeking to evade Union forces and preserve their enslaved labor. The state’s relative isolation and the weak Union presence meant that slavery continued largely unhindered. Some historians suggest that enslavers deliberately withheld the news of emancipation to maintain control over enslaved people and to profit from their labor for as long as possible, even past harvest seasons.
Therefore, the arrival of Union General Gordon Granger and his troops in Galveston on June 19, 1865, was the decisive moment for enslaved people in Texas. General Granger’s General Order No. 3 officially informed Texans that, in accordance with the Emancipation Proclamation, “all slaves are free.” This marked the effective end of slavery in Texas and is the event Juneteenth commemorates. For the approximately 250,000 enslaved people in Texas at the time, Juneteenth represented the tangible arrival of freedom, a moment of profound liberation after years of bondage. The legal abolishment of slavery throughout the United States would follow later in December 1865 with the ratification of the 13th Amendment.
Juneteenth’s significance extends far beyond the borders of Texas. While Texas made Juneteenth a state holiday in 1979, its recognition as a national holiday on June 17, 2021, underscores its importance in the broader American narrative. Juneteenth is more than just a celebration of the end of slavery in Texas; it is a recognition of delayed justice and the ongoing struggle for equality and freedom for African Americans. It serves as a vital reminder of the complexities of American history, the slow pace of progress, and the importance of remembering and learning from the past. As George Santayana wisely said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Celebrating Juneteenth is an act of remembrance, progress, and a continued commitment to the ideals of freedom for all.
