What is Juneteenth, the June Holiday celebrated in the United States of America?
Juneteenth is an annual holiday that’s celebrated in the USA on 19th June. It was declared a federal holiday by the current US President Joe Biden, when he took office in 2021. In fact, it was the first new federal holiday created in 40 years. It’s a significant holiday as it marks the end of slavery in the aftermath of the US Civil War (1861–1865). However, so far, only 18 out of 50 US states officially recognise it as a paid state holiday.
Let’s learn more about this historic day.
Juneteenth at a glance
As the name suggests, Juneteenth is an amalgamation of the words June and nineteenth. It’s widely considered the first national recognition of the end of slavery and the liberation of African-Americans. Alternative names for Juneteenth include Emancipation Day, Freedom Day and Juneteenth Independence Day.
But why June the nineteenth?
Let’s delve into a bit of American history to get to the root of this. As you may already know, even after the US gained independence from the British in 1776, African-Americans were still enslaved for the next eight decades.
But on 1st January 1863, the then President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, calling for the immediate and complete abolition of slavery. The Proclamation stated: “All persons held as slaves, within the states in rebellion, are, and henceforward shall be free.”
Despite this, two years down the line, several slave owners continued to enslave African-Americans. They also withheld information about the slavery ban from their respective slaves to ensure they stayed active till the next harvest season.
Subsequently, after years of struggle, the Civil War ended on 9th April 1865. But even this ceasefire wasn’t enough. So, on 19th June 1865, Major General Gordon Granger, leader of the winning Union side and a pioneer in the slavery abolition movement, landed in Galveston, Texas. There, he issued a directive demanding that all the remaining enslaved people in the US be freed, once and for all. Since then, 19th June has been regarded as a turning point in US history. It’s representative of the freedom of African-Americans and the end of slavery in the USA.
Journey down memory lane
Commander Granger’s June 19th directive had a transformative effect. All existing slave owners were instructed to treat their formerly enslaved subjects as equals, with respect to both personal and property rights. The master-slave relationship was also outlawed and replaced by an employer / employee dynamic. Additionally, the directives stated that the newly freed former slaves could choose to either continue working for wages or leave per their will.
In 1866, Texas became the first US state to commemorate Juneteenth. This event was marked by community-wide celebrations, which included parades, cookouts and historical readings. However, over the years, various communities have created their own Juneteenth traditions. Some of these traditions include buying land and building public spaces.
However, the modern-day movement to popularise Juneteenth across the US only began in 1994. A group of Juneteenth leaders assembled in New Orleans, Louisiana, to form the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation. Their primary goal was to enshrine Juneteenth as a widespread National Day of Celebration and Hope.