So What is Juneteenth? Your Questions Answered

Texas was a Confederate state that saw relatively few direct clashes with Union troops, and it was never occupied by the Union. With little federal presence, many Texans felt no pressure to follow federal law. By the time Granger reached Galveston, it had been two and a half years since the Emancipation Proclamation, and Abraham Lincoln had already been assassinated. Texas held roughly 250,000 enslaved people in 1865, and even with the war effectively over, many enslavers refused to free them. It took Union troops on the ground to enforce the order.

Several dates could mark the end of slavery. So why Juneteenth, rather than January 1, 1863, when Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation took effect, or January 31, 1865, when Congress passed the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery nationwide? The answer is in the moment itself. When enslaved people in Texas heard Granger's words, including the promise of "absolute equality," the news erupted into jubilant celebration. More than any other date, that day carries a sense of hope and freedom for Black Americans.

Here is a text version of "General Order No. 3," which was printed in newspapers around the country:

The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor.

The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.

By order of Major General Granger

F.W. Emery

Major A.A. Genl.

Around Juneteenth 2020, the original handwritten General Order No. 3 was spotlighted among the holdings of the National Archives.

Order No. 3 opens by citing "a proclamation from the Executive of the United States," a reference to the Emancipation Proclamation issued by Abraham Lincoln, who had been assassinated two months earlier. But the order's most powerful word is "equality." The Emancipation Proclamation had freed enslaved people only in the rebelling states, hemmed in by legal provisions and exceptions. The 13th Amendment went further, abolishing slavery throughout the country. Lincoln, assassinated in April 1865, did not live to see it ratified that December. Order No. 3 spoke directly to the people of Texas, but its language of "absolute equality" set it apart.

In 2020, a series of high-profile killings of Black Americans drew national attention. Video of George Floyd's murder by a police officer sparked outrage and protests around the world. Against that backdrop, activists used Juneteenth to spotlight ongoing inequality and systemic racism in America, drawing new international interest in the holiday across generations.

It took 156 years for Juneteenth to become a federal holiday. On June 17, 2021, President Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law, making it the first new federal holiday since 1983. He also issued a proclamation marking the occasion:

"NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 19, 2021, as Juneteenth Day of Observance. I call upon the people of the United States to acknowledge and celebrate the end of the Civil War and the emancipation of Black Americans, and commit together to eradicate systemic racism that still undermines our founding ideals and collective prosperity."

The road to equality for Black Americans is far from over, but the conversation continues. However you choose to mark Juneteenth, consider doing so in a way that reflects your values, and take a moment to imagine the joy those who were freed must have felt in 1865.