June 19th
Juneteenth
This is one of the “freedom days” celebrated in the United States for the end of slavery. It was on June 19, 1863, that General Gordon Granger arrived in Texas—with the avowed intention of enforcing President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. June 19, 1865, became freedom day for slaves in east Texas, as General Gordon Granger was finally able to implement the Proclamation and force the slave owners to release their captors. The 19th of June shortened to Juneteenth, became a holiday, and its celebrations spilled over into other states including Alabama and Florida, which were heavily populated with African Americans. The high point of the day was the election of a king and queen to oversee the festivities. The queen was bestowed with the title “Goddess of Liberty.”
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