Juneteenth is now a federal holiday in the U.S. It commemorates the actual end of slavery in the country. While President Lincoln had declared the end of slavery with the Emancipation Proclamation over two years before, there were still African Americans who had yet to learn of their freedom in Galveston, TX. It wasn’t until June 19, 1865, that federal troops rode into the city and ensured all slaves were freed.
