Black History Exhibits by Grandmothers Who Help

 

                                          Community Programs. 
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The Signifance of Juneteenth

On January 1, 1863 the Emancipation Proclamation had been issued.

The last battle of the Civil War was fought on May 13, 1865

Major General Gordon Granger with 1,800 soldiers arrived in Galveston Texas on June 19, 1865 to assume command of the District of Texas.

General Order Number 3

“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 right and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor.”

“Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19^th 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. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance.”  http://juneteenth.com/history.htm