Juneteenth means liberty and justice for all
While not the most widely known or celebrated holiday, Juneteenth is certainly one of the more significant holidays in the history of this nation.
On June 17, 1865, Union Major General Gordon Granger, along with thousands of federal troops, rode into Galveston, Texas to establish martial law. Two days later, Granger announced that the Civil War had ended and slaves had been freed. Approximately 250,000 slaves living in Texas had no idea that President Abraham Lincoln had issued a proclamation nearly three years earlier stating that all slaves were free. Read the full article on the PCUSA webiste »