by Kelsey Winters

Created on: September 11, 2009

When talking about holidays, Juneteenth isn't one that normally comes up in conversation. In fact, most people have never heard of it! Juneteenth is a long-celebrated day with a very rich background. It may not be as popular as Christmas or Thanksgiving, but its meaning is just as important.

Juneteenth is short for June 19th. It began in Galveston, Texas in 1865. It commemorates the African American emancipation from slavery. June 19th is the day that General Gordon Granger and the Union soldiers landed in Galveston, Texas with the news that the war had ended and that all slaves were now free men. Take note that this was two years after President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863.

Texans were not really affected by the Emancipation Proclamation because there weren't enough Union troops around to enforce it. However, after General Lee surrendered in April of 1865 and after General Granger's regiment arrived, the Union troops were strong enough to enforce this Executive order in Texas.

Once Juneteenth was established, it quickly developed into large festivals aiming to entertain the masses. Celebrations varied from town to town, but most included food, guest speakers and sports games. Many of these traditions continue today, adding rodeo and fishing into the normal celebration mix. Also, foods such as strawberry soda pop became affiliated with this unique celebration.

In the early 1900s, Juneteenth activities began to decline. Since children were being taught at schools and from textbooks, ancestors of those held in slavery were no longer learning their relation to the subject due to not being family-taught. Children were not interested in the celebration because most textbooks talked about President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, but hardly even mentioned the impact from General Granger and his troops on June 19th. Also, because of the Depression, farm workers were often forced to search in the city for work. Employers were not willing to grant time off for this celebration, so the activities declined. However, people started expressing their patriotism more on July 4th, since this day was already an established holiday celebrating Independence.

Since then, Juneteenth has run its course of ups and downs in popularity, and it continues to do so. Many cities are forming committees to start this celebration, and many local groups already do honor it in some way. It is a rich part of our nation's history and it will never be forgotten.

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