Juneteenth: The Celebration of a New Freedom in America

June 16, 2021 By Ncurrie, Posted In American Civil War, Emancipation & Reconstruction, Military, Slavery And The Slave Trade

Written by Billy R. Glasco, Jr., archivist at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum.

One year after the announcement of General Order No. 3, on June 19, 1866, freedmen in Galveston organized the first annual celebration of emancipation in the state of Texas. Jubilee Day, as it was called, was not only a day of celebration, but venues used for Jubilee Day activities were also sites used to inform the Black community on voting instructions.

1906 Juneteenth Parade Float

Martha Yates Jones and Pinkie Yates in a decorated buggy for Juneteenth,1908