The history and significance of Juneteenth
Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG via Getty Images
The history and significance of Juneteenth
Young people celebrate at a Juneteenth celebration at a park in Riverside, California
The Galveston Daily News // Wikimeda Commons
Juneteenth commemorates the 1865 delivery of General Order #3
Excerpt from The Galveston Daily News with Order No. 3 text and illustration of General Gordon Granger
Theodore Kaufmann // Wikimedia Commons
Chattel slavery in all states wasn’t abolished until the end of 1865
Theodore Kaufmann painting ‘On to Liberty’
Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper // Library of Congress
Juneteenth celebrations originated in Galveston, Texas, starting in 1866
Illustration of Emancipation Day Celebration in South Carolina
Houston Public Library Digital Archives // Wikimedia Commons
The first land to commemorate and celebrate the event was purchased in 1872 and is now a public park
Group photograph of Juneteenth Celebration at Emancipation Park
University of North Texas Libraries // Wikimedia Commons
South Dakota was the last state to make Juneteenth a legal holiday
Emancipation Day Celebration band
Interim Archives // Getty Images
Juneteenth has been celebrated in Mexico for more than 150 years
Map depicting Status Of Slavery In The United States 1775 – 1865
Detroit Publishing Company // Library of Congress
The last enslaved people in the US weren’t adopted as citizens until 1885
Emancipation Day celebration in Richmond, Virginia
Moab Republic // Shutterstock
Festivities became more commercialized in the 1920s during the Great Migration
African American History Memorial at State Capitol in Austin, Texas
Tamir Kalifa // Getty Images
Juneteenth officially became a Texas state holiday in 1980
A Texas flag is displayed in front of the State Capitol building
Drew Angerer // Getty Images
Juneteenth wasn’t recognized as a federal holiday until 2021
President Joe Biden signs the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law
