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Juneteenth
What is Juneteenth?
Juneteenth (short for “June Nineteenth”) marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed. The troops’ arrival came a full two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth honors the end to slavery in the United States and is considered the longest-running African American holiday. On June 17, 2021, it officially became a federal holiday. (History Channel, What Is Juneteenth?) updated 6/12/23
Books
Juneteenth: The Story Behind the Celebration by Edward T. Cotham
On Juneteenth by Annette Gordon-Reed
Watermelon & Red Birds: A Cookbook for Juneteenth and Black Celebrations by Nicole A. Taylor
Streaming Videos
Celebrating Juneteenth: A Reading Of The Emancipation Proclamation (NPR)
What is Juneteenth, and why is it so important? TedEd
The Significance of Juneteenth, America’s First New Federal Holiday in Decades (PBS)
Meet Opal Lee, the Juneteenth “Grandmother of the Movement” (ABC News)
Juneteenth: What You Need to Know (History Channel)
Websites and Articles
Emancipation Proclamation
- Transcript of the Proclamation (National Archives)
- 10 Facts: The Emancipation Proclamation (American Battlefield Trust)
- Emancipation Proclamation (Britannica)
- The Emancipation Proclamation (U.S. History)
Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger
- Gordon Granger (American History Central)
- Granger, Gordon (1822–1876) (Texas State Historical Association)
- General Gordon Granger’s General Order Number 3 Announced the End of Slavery in Texas (Iron Brigader)
- General Order No. 3 (Battlefields.org)
Other Helpful Links
- U.S. National Archives Unearths Original Juneteenth Order (NPR)
- Illinois Makes Juneteenth an Official State Holiday (NBC Chicago)
- Illinois HB3922 making Juneteenth an Illinois state holiday (TrackBill)
- Why Is Juneteenth Important? (National Museum of African American History and Culture)
- 9 Things to Know About the History of Juneteenth (NBC News)
- 10 Facts: Juneteenth (American Battlefield Trust)
- 12 Fascinating Facts About Juneteenth (Mental Floss)
- Juneteenth, explained (VOX)
- The Meaning of Juneteenth (Harvard Graduate School of Education)
- National Archives Safeguards Original ‘Juneteenth’ General Order (National Archives)
- What Is Juneteenth? (PBS/Henry Louis Gates, Jr.)