What is Juneteenth?

Mary Elliott, the Curator of American Slavery, from the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture explains:

“Juneteenth is a significant date in American history and the African American experience. The name is a play on the date of June 19th, 1865. On that day, the Union Army made its way into Galveston, TX under the leadership of General Gordon Granger, and he announced to the people of Texas that all enslaved African Americans were free.

Even though we know that the Emancipation Proclamation freed African Americans in rebelling states (Texas being one of them, from as early as it when the Proclamation went into effect on January 1st, 1863) and we know that the Civil War had ended in April of 1865, it took a while for freedom to make its way to the western most rebelling state.  Although there were enslavers who were aware of the implementation of the Emancipation Proclamation, it wasn’t until June 19th, 1865 that it was actually enforced with the Union Army. June 19th freed enslaved people in the rebelling states, it did not free enslaved people throughout the nation. 

Keep in mind, there were still border states which were still part of the Union. They had not seceded from the Union, and they still maintained slavery. Maryland, for example, was one of them. It took the creation of the Emancipation Proclamation, the end of the Civil War, and the passage of the 13th Amendment to finally end slavery throughout the nation. The Reconstruction Amendments are significant as they came into being after the end of the Civil War. They include the 13th Amendment that ended slavery; the 14th Amendment provides citizenship, due process and equal protection; and the 15th Amendment provides the opportunity to vote and hold office.” – Source: What is Juneteenth? (Smithsonian)

To recognize and celebrate Juneteenth 2026, the University Library has developed a selection of eBooks and electronic resources freely available through the University Library. 

Recommended eBooks & Electronic Resources

“Juneteenth Celebrations Across America” (video)

Juneteenth: Faith & Freedom (video)

“Why Juneteenth Matters for Science” (article)

Why Juneteenth matters for science? In the light of US court rulings on racism in science and affirmative action in higher education, commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans is ever more important.

“Digital Juneteenth: Territorializing the Freedom Colony Diaspora” (article) 

After Juneteenth, formerly enslaved African Americans in Texas founded hundreds of historic Black settlements known as freedom colonies. Later, freedom colonies’ populations dispersed, physical traces disappeared, and memories of locations vanished as descendants passed away. In the absence of buildings and legally recognized borders, intangible heritage—stories, ephemeral traditions—define a sense of place. Betraying the perception that these places have disappeared, founders’ descendants express commitments to freedom colonies by returning periodically to plan commemorative events, rehabilitate historic structures, and steward cemeteries. The Texas Freedom Colonies Project (The TXFC Project), a team of faculty and student researchers, documents settlements while supporting descendant communities’ historic preservation aims.

“Encountering Juneteenth: Cultivating Homeplace in the Face of Spectacular Violence” (article)

This article examines how the social protests of 2020, which occurred against the backdrop of George Floyd’s police lynching, challenged the author’s understanding of home. Drawing upon bell hooks’ framing of homeplace, this autoethnographic analysis explores how the need to identify homeplace under the specter of societal violence motivated the author to view Juneteenth celebrations as sites of homeplace cultivation.

Juneteenth : The Story Behind the Celebration (eBook)

Juneteenth has been touted as a national day celebrating the end of slavery. Observances from coast to coast have turned this event into part of the national conversation about race, slavery, and how Americans understand, acknowledge, and explain what has been called the national ‘original sin.’ But, why Juneteenth? Where did this celebration–which promises to become a national holiday–come from? What is the origin story? What are the facts, and legends, around this important day in the nation’s history? This is the first scholarly book to delve into the history behind Juneteenth. Using decades of research in archives around the nation, this book helps separate myth from reality and tells the story behind the celebration.

Juneteenth Texas: Essays in African-American Folklore (eBook)

Juneteenth Texas explores African-American folkways and traditions from both African-American and white perspectives. Included are descriptions and classifications of different aspects of African-American folk culture in Texas; explorations of songs and stories and specific performers such as Lightnin’ Hopkins, Manse Lipscomb, and Bongo Joe; and a section giving resources for the further study of African Americans in Texas. The editors have contributed significantly to making our past relevant to our present in Juneteenth Texas, a collection of essays that explore African-American folkways and traditions.