Juneteenth: A Brief History of Emancipation Day

On this day in 1865, slavery was finally abolished in the state of Texas. A landmark moment not just in Texas, but U.S. history, Juneteenth—a smash-up of the month, June, and the date, the nineteenth, is celebrated at events around the country today.

President Abraham Lincoln had announced the Emancipation Proclamation as an executive order almost three years earlier on Sept. 22, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation formally made the abolishment of slavery a key component of the Union Army’s mission, but, of course, it had little immediate effect in the states still under Confederate control.

With the surrender of General Robert E. Lee in April 1865, and the arrival of Major General Gordon Granger’s regiment in Galveston, Texas, June 19, 1865, Union forces were finally strong enough to overcome the resistance in the Lone Star State, according to a history page on Juneteenth.com.

“Juneteenth continued to be highly revered in Texas decades later, with many former slaves and descendants making an annual pilgrimage back to Galveston on this date,” according to Juneteenth.com.

Juneteenth commemorations had declined by the early 1900s, partly because of cultural changes, but also because of deteriorating economic conditions during the Depression. Renewed interest in the unofficial holiday returned during the Civil Rights era.

Then, in 1980, Juneteenth became an official Texas state holiday following a strong push by state representative Al Edwards, who had been elected the year before. The passage of House Bill 1016 made Texas the first state to recognize an official observance of Juneteenth. Nevada, in April, this year became the 39th state to mark a Juneteenth observation, according to the website nationaljuneteenth.com. Maryland does not officially observe Juneteenth.

However, in Baltimore, the Maryland Historical Society is scheduled to commemorate Juneteenth, the oldest known celebration of the ending of slavery in the U.S. with the stories of two of Maryland’s most famous African-American abolitionists: Harriet Tubman and Christian Fleetwood.

The Maryland Historical Society Players will bring the story of Tubman, an African-American abolitionist from Dorchester County, MD, and Fleetwood, a free person of color from Baltimore, to life during a theatrical production, part of the society’s current exhibit "Divided Voices: Maryland in the Civil War."

Tubman is the best known of the Underground Railroad's volunteers. Fleetwood was the first African-American from Maryland to receive the Medal of Honor in the Civil War, according to a press release from the Maryland Historical Society.

The Maryland Historical Society Players will bring the stories of Harriet Tubman and Christian Fleetwood to life from 12-5 p.m. at 201 W. Monument St. Baltimore, MD, in the “Divided Voices: Maryland in the Civil War" exhibit gallery. $6 for adults; $4 for children. Reservations not required. Contact 410-685-3750 ext. 337 or estafford@mdhs.org.