A festival that commemorates June 19, 1865, when slaves in Galveston, Texas, learned of the Emancipation Proclamation. The announcement that the war had ended and that the slaves were free was made by Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger, who had landed at Galveston with his regiment of Union soldiers. President Abraham Lincoln's proclamation was issued on January 1, 1863, but millions of slaves became aware of it only gradually, as Union forces moved through the South. The announcement in Galveston is considered the final execution of the proclamation. The word 'Juneteenth' is a blend of 'June' and 'nineteenth.' For decades Juneteenth existed predominantly as a local festival, but recently it has spread throughout the country as an expression of African-American culture. The day is associated traditionally with barbecuing and with themes of education and self-improvement.
See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.
