U.S. MARKS END SLAVERY

U.S. MARKS END OF SLAVERY 

United States marked the end of slavery by celebrating Juneteenth 

In 1865 when a Union general proclaimed in Galveston, Texas that all slaves were free

Juneteenth: A holiday celebrating the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the United States

During the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862. It was formally issued on January 1, 1863, declaring that all enslaved persons in the Confederate States of America in rebellion and not in Union hands were freed

Specifically, it commemorates Union army general Gordon Granger announcing federal orders in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, proclaiming that all slaves in Texas were free

Celebrations date to 1866, at first involving church-centered community gatherings in Texas

The day was first celebrated in Austin in 1867 under the auspices of the Freedmen's Bureau, and it had been listed on a "calendar of public events" by 1872

By the 1890s Jubilee Day had become known as Juneteenth

Recognition of Juneteenth varies across the United States

 

Texas was the first state to recognize the date, in 1980

In 1996, the first legislation to recognize "Juneteenth Independence Day" was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, H.J. Res. 195, sponsored by Barbara-Rose Collins (D-MI)

By 2002, eight states officially recognized Juneteenth and four years later 15 states recognized the holiday

By 2008, nearly half of states observed the holiday as a ceremonial observance

In 2020, state governors of Virginia and New York signed an executive order recognizing Juneteenth as a paid day of leave for state employees

By the 21st century, Juneteenth was celebrated in most major cities across the United States

Only three states yet to legally recognize Juneteenth as either a state or ceremonial holiday are Hawaii, North Dakota, and South Dakota