(CNN) � Here is a look at the oldest known US celebration of the end of On over two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, enslaved African Americans in Texas were told they were free.
as families relocated.
The anniversary is celebrated much like the with parties, picnics and gatherings with family and friends.
Facts
Juneteenth is also referred to as Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, Jubilee Day and Liberation Day.
is the first federal holiday established since in 1983 and is at least the 11th federal holiday recognized by the US federal government.
More than half of the states recognize Juneteenth as a paid state holiday, and all states have some recognition or observance, according to the
Former Texas state representative was known as the Edwards sponsored the bill that made Juneteenth a state holiday in 1980.
The Texas activist worked for years to have Juneteenth recognized nationwide. She attended the presidential signing of the bill into law.
Quiz:
By the Numbers
Before the Civil War, Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
In 1860, there were almost people in the United States. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, about half were in the North and half were in the South.
Enslaved people in the United States were estimated at in 1860, according to statistics provided by the National Bureau of Economic Research.
During the Civil War,
of the 1860 population of Texas was comprised of enslaved people, or “bondsmen.�
There were , according to the most recent Census Bureau estimate.
Timeline
April 12, 1861-April 9, 1865 - The Civil War.
June 19, 1862 -
January 1, 1863 - freeing only those enslaved in “rebellious� states, but the proclamation is not enforced and has little impact on slavery in some southern states, including Texas.
November 19, 1863 - At the dedication of a Pennsylvania cemetery of soldiers killed in battle, Lincoln delivers one of his most famous speeches. The final passage in the short, two-minute speech includes the phrase, “a new birth of freedom,� a reference to the abolition of slavery.
January 31, 1865 -
February 1, 1865 - a little more than two months before his death. His assassin, John Wilkes Booth, supported slavery.
June 19, 1865 - Major General Gordon Granger and Union Army troops arrive in Galveston, Texas. Supported by a military presence,
December 6, 1865 - and becomes part of the US Constitution, abolishing slavery of any kind, now or in the future. It is not immediately ratified by every state, including Texas.
June 19, 1866 -
February 18, 1870 -
1872 - Emancipation Park is founded in Houston by a group of formerly enslaved African Americans. They begin what becomes an annual Juneteenth celebration, according to the Emancipation Park Conservancy.
June 19, 1968 - Originally planned by , the campaign, led by Ralph D. Abernathy after King’s assassination on April 4, gives Juneteenth new prominence.
January 1, 1980 -
Every year we must remind successive generations that this event triggered a series of events that one by one defines the challenges and responsibilities of successive generations. That’s why we need this holiday.� � Al Edwards (D-Texas), sponsor of the state bill.
October 2013 - Emancipation Park breaks ground on a which is completed in June 2017.
2009-2012, 2014-2016 - the nation’s first African American president, issues statements seven times during his presidency to mark Juneteenth.
2014 - A is placed near the Osterman Building, former site of the Union Army’s Texas headquarters in Galveston, where Granger issued General Order No. 3.
February 25, 2021 - Senate and House lawmakers reintroduce the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act. A 2020 bill was
June 16, 2021 - after the Senate unanimously passes the legislation on June 15.
June 17, 2021 - signs legislation into law , a US federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.
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