Juneteenth – June 19 – is the day that the last slaves in the U.S. were made aware of their freedom under the Emancipation Proclamation. The Emancipation Proclamation was first issued Sept. 22, 1862, and enacted Jan. 1, 1863. Slaves in Texas did not know of former President Abraham Lincoln’s declaration until June 19, 1865, when Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger announced the news of the proclamation in Galveston, Texas.
