How Long Until
JUNETEENTH
On June 17, 2021 The White House invited Lee to President Joe Biden's Juneteenth bill signing officially making June 19 a national holiday. On that day in 1865, the enslaved African Americans were granted freedom all the way in Galveston.
General Order No. 3
Where it all began
Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation - which had become official January 1, 1863.
The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new Executive Order. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance. One of General Granger’s first orders of business was to read to the people of Texas, General Order Number 3 which began most significantly with:
``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 rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and free laborer.``
1863
January 1Emancipation Proclamation
Juneteenth Celebrations
AND THE FOOD
National Juneteenth Observance Foundation
All Americans celebrate our common bond of freedom through the recognition, observance, education & historic preservation of Juneteenth in America.
In 2000, the late Rev. Ronald Myers, Sr., M.D., Founder & Chairman of the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation (NJOF) came to Washington, DC to begin the campaign to establish Juneteenth Independence Day as a National Day of Observance and an official state holiday or state holiday observance in all 50 states and U.S. territories. As of today, 47 states have a state recognized holiday. NJOF is a national foundation, including hundreds of local organizations. It advances the right of Freedom through its initiatives including education, health, music and art, creating opportunities for a better life for all.