Video from City of Allen - ACTV
History of Juneteenth
"Presented by Dr. Shennette Garrett-Scott Wednesday, June 19, at the Allen Public Library. Her program traces the history of Juneteenth events from the late nineteenth century freedmen colonies'' and settlements' celebrations to the present community events." video introduction.
"What is Juneteenth?
Juneteenth honors the memory of June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers rode into Galveston, Texas, and read President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation to the public. President Lincoln had signed the document on January 1, 1863, but it took another two and a half years for news of freedom to reach the nearly quarter of a million slaves in Texas.
When was Juneteenth founded?
Texas was the most remote of the slave states, and the Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863, was not enforced there until after the Civil War had ended. On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger led thousands of federal troops to Galveston, Texas to announce that the Civil War had ended, and slaves had been free.
Formerly enslaved people in Galveston celebrated after the announcement. The following year, freedmen in Texas organized the first of what became the annual celebration of "Jubilee Day" on June 19..." from the article: Why do we celebrate Juneteenth?
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