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Juneteenth

A celebration

                                              

News of the end of the Civil War and the freedom of the enslaved African Americans due to the signed Emancipation Proclamation in January of 1863 did not arrive in Texas until June 19, 1865, when Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas. He informed the enslaved African Americans of their freedom and that the Civil War had ended. This momentous occasion has been celebrated as Juneteeth -- a combination of June and 19 -- for over 150 years.

Trail boss James Frances Jr. on horse with American flag leading the Emancipation Trail ride on Juneteeth in Galveston, Texas.

Above, trail boss James Frances Jr. leads the Emancipation Trail ride, a Juneteenth event in Galveston, Texas taken from the article, "The Proclamation's Legacy" found in the American History database linked below.

Photo from the early 1900s of a Juneteenth celebration in the streets of the city in Richmond, Virginia.

Above is a photo from the early 1900s of a Juneteenth celebration in the streets of the city in Richmond, Virginia from the American History database linked below.

New Jersey