Juneteenth - What Are You Celebrating?

Juneteenth, a blend of “June” and “nineteenth” marks the day in 1865 (19 Jun 1865)when enslaved African Americans in Galveston, TX, were finally informed of their freedom. Texas, the most remote slave-holding state, was the last to receive Union troops to enforce emancipation hence Juneteenth’s powerful legacy. That's when the Union troops arrived in Galveston, TX. This was over two years after President Abraham Lincoln had issued the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation.

Everyone Did Not Celebrate

Due to the mass exodus of ex-slaves from Texas to other states and communities, small Juneteenth celebrations were held across the nation as early as the 1866's, not just in Texas. It was also customary, especially in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas, for the previously enslaved Texans to return to their family community for the Juneteenth festivities annually. Early celebrations included readings of the Emancipation Proclamation. Plus, it was a great time to have a family reunion!

Did You Know?

All Enslaved People Were Not Freed by the Emancipation Proclamation (1863)

          36  U.S. states by end of the Civil War

          25  Union States: 21 Free State

                                        4  Slave States 

          11  Confederate States (claimed secession)

A small forgotten detail by the masses is the fact that the Emancipation Proclamation only freed the enslaved people of the eleven states that formed the Confederacy. The Emancipation Proclamation did not free the enslaved people in the other Union states. 

Texas joined the Confederacy in 1861. Their enslaved people were freed 1 Jan 1863, by the Emancipation Proclamation. The Emancipation Proclamation could only be enforced if the Union military was in place and had the military power to free the enslaved people.
Note: This was easier on the states along waterways.

Year	Event	Notes
1861	Start of the Civil War	Eleven Southern states secede, forming the Confederacy.
Sept 22, 1862	Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation	Lincoln warns that enslaved people in rebellious states will be freed if rebellion continues.
Jan 1, 1863	Emancipation Proclamation	Slaves in Confederate states are declared free, but enforcement relies on Union military success.
April 1865	Civil War ends	Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrenders. Slavery remains in border Union states.
June 19, 1865	Juneteenth	Union troops arrive in Galveston, Texas. Slavery officially ended in Texas.
Dec 6, 1865	13th Amendment ratified	Slavery becomes illegal in all U.S. states, including Union states

There were five non-Confederate States, the "Border States," that held enslaved peoples. It was legal to have "slaves" in the Union States until there was a state-level action or through the 13th Amendment, ratified on December 6, 1865. 

The enslaved people in the following states were not freed by the 1861 Emancipation Proclamation 

1. Delaware - Never seceded.  Rejected both the Emancipation Proclamation and voluntary abolition before the 13th Amendment.

2. Maryland - Abolished slavery on November 1, 1864, through a new state constitution.

3. Kentucky - Maintained slavery until the 13th Amendment. 

4. Missouri -The pro-Union government abolished slavery in January 1865 by state action before the 13th Amendment was passed.

5. West Virginia (A new state in 1863)
   Allowed slavery at statehood but abolished it in February 1865.
   West VA had just become a state in 1863, and is historically lumped in with the "Border States."

For more reading:
Juneteenth - Our Ancestors Knew: Celebrated Across the Nation

   TracingAncestors.org