The History of Juneteenth

Written by Rotem Levin and Juan

(Image used by WHAS11 for a Youtube informational video)

On June 19, 1866, Union soldiers, led by major general Gordon Grengar, got to Galveston, Texas, and told the slaves there that the war was over and they were now free. Quote (note not all information that was said is contained in this quote): “Freedom finally came on June 19, 1865, when some 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas. The army announced that the more than 250,000 enslaved black people in the state, were free by executive decree.” These were the last slaves, and this day marks the end of slavery.

Juneteenth is considered a celebration of freedom in the United States and is celebrated by many people living in our area. It’s a very important holiday for the Tilden and African American communities. It is also the oldest known tradition in the United States to celebrate the freeing of slaves.

Juneteenth is also known as Emancipation Day, and there are even contests in the U.S to pick a "Miss Juneteenth". Strawberry soda pops were also once a popular drink that was associated with this holiday.

Juneteenth has been considered a national holiday since June 19, 1866, and last year (2021) it became a federal holiday. There are festivals around the United States to celebrate Juneteenth, and families will sometimes hold barbecues, shoot fireworks, or even shop at Black-owned businesses. One tradition commonly found in cookouts is to drink red-colored beverages to honor the blood of African Americans that were victims of slavery. It was originally called Jubilee Day.

Juneteenth is a federal holiday that is celebrated across the United States, and hopefully, you learned a little bit about its history.

Sources:

Wikipedia, Junteenth website/Vanderblit University, Nmaahc, Golden West College, Pinterest, and the New York Times.