On June 19, 1865, shortly after the last Civil War battle, Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, to reiterate and reinforce an end to all slavery in the United States. His troops carried with them Executive Order No. 3, which clearly and directly declared that all enslaved people in all states were free.
Over the past 160 years, people have referred to that momentous Monday in American history by many names: Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Cel-Liberation, Second Independence Day, and Emancipation Day.
Today, we commemorate that important day annually as Juneteenth. Regardless of what we call June 19, though, the historical, social, and cultural implications of that date for our Nation remain profound.