During this year's Juneteenth, people can expect celebrations to take place in several big cities across the United States.
"Last year, I was proud to sign bipartisan legislation establishing Juneteenth as our newest Federal holiday, so that all Americans can feel the power of this day, learn from our history, celebrate our progress, and recognize and engage in the work that continues," Biden said in a statement on June 17, 2022."The emancipation of enslaved Black Americans was not the end of our Nation's work to deliver on the promise of equality—it was only the beginning.
President Joe Biden signs the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law in the East Room of the White House on June 17, 2021, in Washington, DC. The Juneteenth holiday marks the end of slavery in the United States.During the American Civil War in 1863, then-President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation allowing all slaves in Confederate states to be freed. However, the news of Lincoln's announcement took two years to reach Texas.
"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," according to Juneteenth.com, an educational and motivational resource about the holiday.
A year later on June 19, 1866, numerous celebrations took place across Texas to mark the occasion, according to the encyclopedia Britannica. "The original observances included prayer meetings and the singing of spirituals, and celebrants wore new clothes as a way of representing their newfound freedom. Within a few years, African Americans in other states were celebrating the day as well, making it an annual tradition," the encyclopedia Britannica states.
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