Today is Juneteenth, a day that recognizes the Emancipation of enslaved Americans. While President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation was official on Jan. 1, 1863 it was not until June 19, 1865, that all slaves were freed. The celebrated date of June 19 began when General Grover Granger rode into Galveston, TX with news of the end of the Civil War and the Emancipation of all slaves.
Freed slaves began to celebrate on this date and it is now an official holiday or special observation in forty-five states. As Americans, we should all join in celebrating the abolition of slavery.
“Now I’ve been free, I know what a dreadful condition slavery is. I have seen hundreds of escaped slaves, but I never saw one who was willing to go back and be a slave.” Harriet Tubman
Crooked Creek by Sue Mattingly 