About Juneteenth

Juneteenth commemorates Freedom Day when on June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, Union Army General Gordon Granger read aloud the contents of “General Order No. 3”, announcing the total emancipation of those held as slaves in states then in rebellion against the United States. This was almost two and a half years following the Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Abraham Lincoln. Also called Jubilee Day, African Americans call this day Juneteenth.