When the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by Abraham Lincoln, the news didn’t immediately free all African Americans from slavery. In fact, it took two and a half years for the news to finally become official in Texas. On June 19, 1865, Union Army soldier General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas. He then proclaimed the state’s slaves free that day. For African Americans still living in slavery at the time in Texas, the proclamation was a cause for celebration, joy, and relief. In fact, Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States.
