Press Play with Madeleine Brand
How Juneteenth became a celebration for the end of slavery
On June 19, 1865, Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to tell the state’s slaves that the Civil War was over. That was more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation officially ended slavery in America. Juneteenth became a day to celebrate freedom. Some call it the real Independence Day for America. Others have never heard of it.
By Madeleine Brand • • 1 min readOn June 19, 1865, Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to tell the state’s slaves that the Civil War was over. That was more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation officially ended slavery in America. Juneteenth became a day to celebrate freedom. Some call it the real Independence Day for America. Others have never heard of it. It’s still not a National holiday, which raises questions about America’s discomfort with its slave owning past.
