Commentary
Juneteenth: the oldest internationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States
Guest Commentator
Juneteenth is the oldest internationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that…
June 19, 2025 1 min read Free to read
Juneteenth is the oldest internationally
celebrated commemoration of the ending
of slavery in the United States. Dating
back to 1865, it was on June 19th that
the Union soldiers, led by Major General
Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston,
Texas with news that the war had ended
and that the enslaved were now free.
Note that this was two and a half years
after President Lincoln’s Emancipation
Proclamation – which had become official
January 1, 1863. The Emancipation
Proclamation had little impact on the
Texans due to the minimal number of
Union troops to enforce the new
Executive Order.
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