The History of Juneteenth: A History Book for New Readers

THE HISTORY OF JUNETEENTH: A HISTORY BOOK FOR NEW READERS shares the story of the more-than-century-old holiday by going back to the history of slavery. Hundreds of years ago Africans were captured and enslaved by Europeans around the world, including the United States. During the U.S. Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed enslaved people in Northern states. Two years later, on January 31, 1865, Congress approved the Thirteenth Amendment, declaring slavery illegal. Months later, on June 19, 1865, federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to take control of the state and free all enslaved people. So on June 19th each year, we commemorate the end of slavery in the United States. Early celebrations of the holiday, in the late 1860s, were called "Jubilee Day" and often included a reading of the Emancipation Proclamation. African Americans found it difficult to celebrate freedom during the oppressive Jim Crow era and the civil right movement, from the1940s through the 1970s. On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed Bill 475, recognizing Juneteenth as an official federal holiday.