Juneteenth, the oldest known celebration of the end of slavery in the United States, is observed every year on June 19, the day the news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, in 1865. On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger and Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, bringing news that the American Civil War had ended and enslaved people were now free, 2½ years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation became official on Jan. 1, 1863. The 13th Amendment, ratified in 1865, abolished slavery throughout the United States.
Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021.
While the Library will be closed for the holiday, access to our digital services is always available remotely. Check out e-books, streaming audio or video, digital magazines, and more through Ohio Digital Library. Get access on your tablet or smartphone through the Libby app.
