The History of Juneteenth

“Juneteenth” is a monumental event that has been celebrated in the African American community. On June 19, 1865, about 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas, and announced that more than 250,000 enslaved black people in the state were freed by Proclamation from the Executive of the United States. The day became known as “Juneteenth” by the newly freed people in Texas.

According to the Florida Department of State, “Emancipation was proclaimed in Tallahassee on May 20, 1865, 11 days after the end of the Civil War, and two years after the Proclamation first issued by President Abraham Lincoln freed those enslaved in Southern states. For this reason, Emancipation Day is traditionally celebrated on May 20 in Florida.”

Nearly two and a half years earlier, on January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation which declared, “that all persons held as slaves within any designated part of a State”, one of which was Florida, that was “then in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.” It was limited to the states that had seceded from the union, allowing slavery to continue in other states that were already under Northern control. The document also announced that such persons “will be received into the armed service of the United States”, allowing almost 200,000 black soldiers and sailors to fight for the Union to end the Civil War.

January 1, 1863, is also known as “Freedom’s Eve,” when Watch Night services took place. Enslaved and free African Americans gathered in churches and private homes across the country, awaiting news that the Emancipation Proclamation had taken effect. At the stroke of midnight, prayers were answered as they were declared to be free. Union soldiers marched onto plantations and across cities in the South, reading copies of the Emancipation Proclamation, spreading the news of freedom.

Then on February 1, 1865, President Lincoln signed the Thirteenth Amendment to the U. S. Constitution, and its ratification on December 6, 1865, ended slavery in all states with the words, “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” Sadly, President Lincoln did not live to see this day.

On June 17, 2021, the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act was signed into law.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Juneteenth National Independence Day Act’’.

SEC. 2. JUNETEENTH NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE DAY AS A LEGAL PUBLIC HOLIDAY.

Section 6103(a) of title 5, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item relating to Memorial Day the following:

‘‘Juneteenth National Independence Day, June 19.’’.

https://www.congress.gov/117/plaws/publ17/PLAW-117publ17.pdf