--- title: What Is Juneteenth? How Emancipation Was First Celebrated description: More than 150 years have passed since the original celebration in Galveston, Texas. canonical: https://time.com/3914574/juneteenth/ author: Lily Rothman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-19T11:00:56.000Z article:modified_time: 2024-01-24T14:01:31.000Z article:section: History og:title: What Is Juneteenth? How Emancipation Was First Celebrated og:description: More than 150 years have passed since the original celebration in Galveston, Texas og:url: https://time.com/3914574/juneteenth/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc0218447d8353ab8/698853be55a8595db2a8c6b3/150609-civil-war-re-enactor-juneteenth.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Juneteenth Celebration og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: What Is Juneteenth? How Emancipation Was First Celebrated twitter:description: More than 150 years have passed since the original celebration in Galveston, Texas twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc0218447d8353ab8/698853be55a8595db2a8c6b3/150609-civil-war-re-enactor-juneteenth.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # What Happened After the First Juneteenth ## Video: 'It's Done.' Baltimore Removes Its Confederate Statues After Charlottesville Violence [Watch (HLS stream): 'It's Done.' Baltimore Removes Its Confederate Statues After Charlottesville Violence](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/FEXZq2ez.m3u8) (0:32)  _Published 2017-08-16. Baltimore hauled away its Confederate statues early Wednesday, following the deadly white supremacist rally in Virginia that started over a Robert E. Lee monument_  by [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Rothman is managing editor at TIME. Updated: Jan 24, 2024 2:01 PM UTCPublished: Jun 19, 2015 11:00 AM UTC  Re-enactor Marvin-Alonzo Greer is shown during a Juneteenth celebration at the Atlanta Cyclorama and Civil War Museum, June 20, 2014. Re-enactor Marvin-Alonzo Greer is shown during a Juneteenth celebration at the Atlanta Cyclorama and Civil War Museum, June 20, 2014.Kent D. Johnson—AP Photo  by [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Rothman is managing editor at TIME. Updated: Jan 24, 2024 2:01 PM UTCPublished: Jun 19, 2015 11:00 AM UTC It was back in April that we marked the anniversary of the [surrender at Appomattox Court House,](http://time.com/3814160/appomattox-150/) which is seen by many as the unofficial end of the American Civil War. But word of the Civil War’s end didn’t reach Texas until June 19, 1865. As TIME [explained](http://time.com/vault/issue/1997-05-26/page/117/) in 1997: --- > “” --- What followed, however, was more complicated than the early celebration suggested. Proof could be found in a New York _Times_ [story](http://www.nytimes.com/1865/07/09/news/the-negro-question-in-texas.html) from that July, headlined “The Negro Question in Texas.” The story reported that Granger’s order had specified to the people of Texas that the freedom of the former slaves “involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves.” It seemed that the people of Houston didn’t quite get the message: freedmen were being interrogated as to whom they belonged to; if they did not name someone, they would be accused of idleness and put to work for the city. “\[So\], if this was an outbreak of the old spirit, a drawing distinctions based upon color alone, giving white men the right to be as idle as they please, but not tolerating idleness among the blacks; allowing whites to work where they please, but sending blacks ‘home to their masters’ or to the public works; it is a system which will have to be changed at Galveston, or wherever it is entered upon,” the _Times_ concluded. It took years before Juneteenth celebrations expanded. One remnant of early commemorations can still be seen in cities like Houston, where the still-in-use [Emancipation Park ](http://www.houstontx.gov/parks/ourparks/emancipationpark.html)was created after the freed population pooled money in 1872 to purchase the land in order to use it for Juneteenth celebrations. More than a century later, in 1997, Congress recognized Juneteenth with a[ joint resolution](https://www.congress.gov/bill/105th-congress/senate-joint-resolution/11), commemorating the fact that “Juneteenth celebrations have thus been held for 130 years to honor the memory of all those who endured slavery and especially those who moved from slavery to freedom,” though it is not a nationally recognized holiday. At least one place, however, will mark the anniversary with major [festivities](https://www.galveston.com/calendarofevents/?trumbaEmbed=eventid%3D127830183%26view%3Devent): Galveston, Tex. _Read more:_ [_Here’s How America Observes Juneteenth_](http://time.com/2903414/how-america-observes-juneteenth/) ### See the American Civil War in Color Photographs  Allan Pinkerton, President Lincoln, and Maj. Gen. John A. McClernand; at the main eastern theater of the war, Battle of Antietam, Sept.-Oct., 1862. Alexander Gardner—Library of Congress  Allan Pinkerton, President Lincoln, and Maj. Gen. John A. McClernand; at the main eastern theater of the war, Battle of Antietam, Sept.-Oct., 1862. Photo colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME; Original image: Alexander Gardner—Library of Congress  Surgeons of the 3rd Division before hospital tent in Petersburg, Va., Aug. 1864. Library of Congress  Surgeons of the 3rd Division before hospital tent in Petersburg, Va., Aug. 1864. Photo colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME; Original image: Library of Congress  John L. Burns, the "old hero of Gettysburg," with gun and crutches in Gettysburg, Penn., July, 1863. Mathew Brady—Library of Congress  John L. Burns, the "old hero of Gettysburg," with gun and crutches in Gettysburg, Penn., July, 1863. Photo colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME; Original image: Mathew Brady—Library of Congress  Washington, District of Columbia. Tent life of the 31st Penn. Inf. at Queen's farm, vicinity of Fort Slocum in Washington, DC, 1861. Library of Congress  Washington, District of Columbia. Tent life of the 31st Penn. Inf. at Queen's farm, vicinity of Fort Slocum in Washington, DC, 1861. Photo colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME; Original image: Library of Congress  Allan Pinkerton ("E. J. Allen") of the Secret Service on horseback in Antietam, Md., Oct. 1862. Alexander Gardner—Library of Congress  Allan Pinkerton ("E. J. Allen") of the Secret Service on horseback in Antietam, Md., Oct. 1862. Photo colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME; Original image: Alexander Gardner—Library of Congress  Cock fighting at Gen. Orlando B. Willcox's headquarters in Petersburg, Va., 1864. David Knox—Library of Congress  Cock fighting at Gen. Orlando B. Willcox's headquarters in Petersburg, Va., 1864. Photo colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME; Original image: David Knox—Library of Congress  Camp of Captain \[John J.\] Hoff., in Gettysburg, Penn., July, 1865 William Morris Smith—Library of Congress  Camp of Captain \[John J.\] Hoff., in Gettysburg, Penn., July, 1865 Photo colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME; Original image: William Morris Smith—Library of Congress  African American legislator Robert Smalls of South Carolina. Library of Congress  African American legislator Robert Smalls of South Carolina. Photo colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME; Original image: Library of Congress  Portrait of Rear Adm. David D. Porter, officer of the Federal Navy, 1860. Mathew Brady—Library of Congress  Portrait of Rear Adm. David D. Porter, officer of the Federal Navy, 1860. Photo colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME; Original image: Mathew Brady—Library of Congress  Portrait of Maj. Gen. George A. Custer, officer of the Federal Army, 1865. Mathew Brady—Library of Congress  Portrait of Maj. Gen. George A. Custer, officer of the Federal Army, 1865. Photo colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME; Original image: Mathew Brady—Library of Congress  Portrait of President Abraham Lincoln, 1863. Alexander Gardner—Library of Congress  Portrait of President Abraham Lincoln, 1863. Photo colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME; Original image: Alexander Gardner—Library of Congress  President Lincoln on the battlefield Library of Congress  President Lincoln on the battlefield Photo colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME; Original image: Library of Congress  President Lincoln and Gen. George B. McClellan in the general's tent, Antietam, Md., Sept. - Oct. 1862. Alexander Gardner—Library of Congress  President Lincoln and Gen. George B. McClellan in the general's tent, Antietam, Md., Sept. - Oct. 1862. Photo colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME; Original image: Alexander Gardner—Library of Congress  Capt. Custer of the 5th Cavalry is seen with Lt. Washington, a prisoner and former classmate. Library of Congress  Capt. Custer of the 5th Cavalry is seen with Lt. Washington, a prisoner and former classmate. Photo colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME; Original image: Library of Congress  Officer's mess, Company E, 93rd New York Volunteers, in Bealeton, Va., Aug., 1863 Timothy H. O'Sullivan—Library of Congress  Officer's mess, Company E, 93rd New York Volunteers, in Bealeton, Va., Aug., 1863 Photo colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME; Original image: Timothy H. O'Sullivan—Library of Congress  Three Confederate prisoners in Gettysburg, Penn., June-July, 1863. Library of Congress  Three Confederate prisoners in Gettysburg, Penn., June-July, 1863. Photo colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME; Original image: Library of Congress  Dead on battlefield at 1st Bull Run, 1862-1865 Library of Congress  Dead on battlefield at 1st Bull Run, 1862-1865 Photo colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME; Original image: Library of Congress  Dead Confederate sharpshooter at foot of Little Round Top on the battlefield at Gettysburg, July, 1863 Timothy H. O'Sullivan—Library of Congress  Dead Confederate sharpshooter at foot of Little Round Top on the battlefield at Gettysburg, July, 1863 Photo colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME; Original image: Timothy H. O'Sullivan—Library of Congress  Remembering the dead at Sudley Church near Bull Run, Va. March 1862. George N. Barnard—Library of Congress  Remembering the dead at Sudley Church near Bull Run, Va. March 1862. Photo colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME; Original image: George N. Barnard—Library of Congress  A surgical photo from the Surgeon General's War Department shows an injured soldier with both arms amputated. Library of Congress  A surgical photo from the Surgeon General's War Department shows an injured soldier with both arms amputated. Photo colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME; Original image: Library of Congress  Powder boy by gun of U.S.S. New Hampshire off the coast of Charleston, S.C., 1860. Library of Congress  Powder boy by gun of U.S.S. New Hampshire off the coast of Charleston, S.C., 1860. Photo colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME; Original image: Library of Congress  Unidentified African American soldier in Union uniform with wife and two daughters, 1863-1865. Library of Congress  Unidentified African American soldier in Union uniform with wife and two daughters, 1863-1865. Photo colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME; Original image: Library of Congress  Mary Todd Lincoln Mathew Brady—Library of Congress  Mary Todd Lincoln Photo colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME; Original image: Mathew Brady—Library of Congress  Abraham Lincoln in a reflective pose, in Washington, DC, May 16, 1861. Mathew Brady—Library of Congress  Abraham Lincoln in a reflective pose, in Washington, DC, May 16, 1861. Photo colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME; Original image: Mathew Brady—Library of Congress  Lewis Payne, a conspirator in the assassination of President Lincoln, in the Washington Navy Yard, April-July 1865. Alexander Gardner—Library of Congress  Lewis Payne, a conspirator in the assassination of President Lincoln, in the Washington Navy Yard, April-July 1865. Photo colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME; Original image: Alexander Gardner—Library of Congress  David E. Herold, a conspirator in the assassination of President Lincoln, in the Washington Navy Yard, April-July 1865. Alexander Gardner—Library of Congress  David E. Herold, a conspirator in the assassination of President Lincoln, in the Washington Navy Yard, April-July 1865. Photo colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME; Original image: Alexander Gardner—Library of Congress  Frederick Douglass Library of Congress  Frederick Douglass Photo colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME; Original image: Library of Congress  Portrait of Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside, officer of the Federal Army, 1860-1865. Mathew Brady—Library of Congress  Portrait of Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside, officer of the Federal Army, 1860-1865. Photo colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME; Original image: Mathew Brady—Library of Congress  The staff of Gen. Fitz-John Porter, Lieutenant William G. Jones and George A. Custer reclining at Falmouth, Va., 1863 Library of Congress  The staff of Gen. Fitz-John Porter, Lieutenant William G. Jones and George A. Custer reclining at Falmouth, Va., 1863 Photo colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME; Original image: Library of Congress  Soldiers bathing near the ruins of a railroad bridge, North Anna River, Va, May, 1864. Timothy H. O'Sullivan—Library of Congress  Soldiers bathing near the ruins of a railroad bridge, North Anna River, Va, May, 1864. Photo colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME; Original image: Timothy H. O'Sullivan—Library of Congress  Alfred R. Waud, artist of Harper's Weekly, sketching on battlefield in Gettysburg, Penn., July 1863. Timothy H. O'Sullivan—Library of Congress  Alfred R. Waud, artist of Harper's Weekly, sketching on battlefield in Gettysburg, Penn., July 1863. Photo colorization by Sanna Dullaway for TIME; Original image: Timothy H. 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