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How, and when, do you celebrate Blacks' freedom in this country? While most American slaves received their freedom after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, those slaves in Texas had to wait more than two-and-a-half years later to be free. America's slavery didn't entirely end until the Union Army arrived in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865.
Is yours a household that celebrates "Juneteenth" as Blacks' Emancipation Day? Did your ancestors gain their freedom on July 4, 1776; on April 16, 1862 when President Abraham Lincoln signed the Compensated Emancipation Act; or on June 19, 1865? Juneteenth continues to gain status as Blacks' Independence Day. In fact, Blacks' overall emancipation didn't take place until General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston and issued General Order No. 3.
Emancipation Day occurred in the District of Columbia on April 16, 1862, but wasn't fully realized until June 19, 1865, more than three years later. Explanations for the holdups in granting freedom to America's Black slaves vary. Depending on who's doing the talking, the delay could have been attributed to anything from bureaucratic delays...