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The only way to begin history is with what should happen not what did happen. In the case of the history of Juneteenth, it is as wrought in legends and mystery as any tale; however, within the mystery of the past there is some truth.

On January 1, 1863, President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This document held great hope for the African-American slaves and great dread for the slave owners with crops requiring field hands to work them. General Granger's first order of business upon arrival in Texas was to read General Order Number 3, which began most significantly with these infamous words: "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 rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and free laborer."

According to witness accounts, the reactions to the news ran the gamut between news too shocking to believe to immediate jubilation. Even with such profound news, many people lingered about to learn what was to become of such a relationship between master and slave that was now employer to employee. However, many slaves left immediately before any offers were possible from their former owners. In many ways, this was a testament to the treatment of slaves on many plantations as well as the realization of what freedom meant to those who did not possess it..

The slaves had nowhere to go, limited if any family to travel to, yet many felt the act of leaving the plantations without shackles was the first step toward the realization of freedom. North was a logical destination and many considered it to be a safe haven representative of true freedom for it were the northern states who fought to free the slaves from the bondage of ownership as one would own cattle or horses. Others fled to neighboring states in hopes of reaching lost family members among the residents of Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. A large number settled into the new areas as free men and women, which brought about new realities and challenges of establishing a nonexistent status for blacks in the United States.

How does an order signed on January 1, 1863 become a holiday, a celebration of sorts on June 19, 1865? The stories vary, many are legend, and nobody knows the full truth. Juneteenth came nearly two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Some

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