Movement1865
Juneteenth: Emancipation Reaches Texas
Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced that all enslaved people were free, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. This day, known as Juneteenth, became the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the end of slavery.
Why It Matters
Juneteenth represents the fulfillment of the promise of emancipation and has become a federal holiday honoring African American freedom and achievement, reminding the nation that liberty must be actively extended to all people.