Juneteenth is derived from the words June and nineteenth to commemorates June 19, 1865, the day Union General Gordon Granger and 2,000 federal troops arrived on Galveston Island, Texas to take possession of the state and enforce General Order No. 3 which read:
The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.
Juneteenth celebrations began in Texas in 1866. Within a few years, these celebrations spread to other states and are now an an annual tradition. Celebrations often open with praying and religious ceremonies, and include a reading of the Emancipation Proclamation which was announced on January 1, 1863, with little effect on most slaves, particularly in Texas, which was for the most part under Confederate control. Food is central to the celebrations, with barbecued meats being especially popular.
