Podcast: 160 Years of Juneteenth! The Journey of Juneteenth Begins in Galveston

We'll open this episode with a poem from the Great American Memoirist and poet Maya Angelou.

"History, despite its wrenching pain Cannot be unlived, but if faced
With courage, need not be lived again."

-Maya Angelou

One hundred sixty years ago, on June 19th, 1865, Union forces sailed into Galveston to deliver a message known as General Order No. 3.

It 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." June 19th has since become known and celebrated in Galveston and across the United States as Freedom Day, Emancipation Day, or, most commonly, Juneteenth.

Juneteenth is the longest-running African-American holiday in the United States, and it has its historic roots right here on Galveston Island. But the story of Juneteenth is much bigger than just a celebration of one single day in history.

The American Civil War was fought between 1861 and 1865. This war essentially cut America in half. Southern states seceded so that they could decide on each state's right to continue the practice of slavery. Though the United States banned the international slave trade in 1808, this didn't put an end to the slave economy in the country itself, and it's worth noting that right here in Galveston, in the 18 teens and early 1820s, while international trade was outlawed, smugglers and pirates like Jean Lafite continued to smuggle enslaved people into the country after capturing slave trading vessels in the Gulf until their operation was shut down by the United States Navy.

Through the early and mid-1800s, the Southern agricultural economy came to rely almost entirely on the labor of hundreds of thousands of enslaved people. Throughout the Civil War, many wealthy slaveholders throughout the South moved their slaves into Texas, as Texas was the farthest southwest Confederate state. Although Texas had plenty of Civil War conflicts along the Gulf Coast, Texas was the farthest away from the front lines.

President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation freed enslaved people living under Union control on January 1st, 1863, two and a half years before the surrender of Confederate Forces. Union soldiers still had to fight to regain control of the Confederate territories. Even after Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox on April 9th, 1865, suppressing the rebellion entirely was a slow process.

The war was officially over, but there were literally hundreds of thousands of enslaved people, well.. still enslaved throughout the former Confederate states, especially in that far away state of Texas with respect to the front lines of the Civil War.

As the Union Army and Navy made their way along the Eastern coast and into the Gulf, securing major port cities of the Confederacy. Galveston was the final significant port still held by the remnants of the rebellion. In fact, Galveston was the only major port city not to be successfully captured by the Union during the Civil War. So it took over two months, from April 9th to June 19th, for the Union Navy to sail into Galveston unopposed, meaning Texas was the last state to receive the news when General Gordon Granger and his troops landed at Galveston Harbor.

Once they arrived, General Granger set up headquarters at the Osterman Building, which previously stood at the Southwest corner of 22nd and Strand. A series of general orders was written and copied to be posted throughout the Island and disseminated in the press across the state. The most famous of these orders was General Order No. 3. Which freed roughly 250,000 enslaved people living in Texas.

Two thousand federal troops, many of whom were free Black men, marched through Galveston announcing the news. The orders were posted in several prominent locations throughout the city. Over the next few weeks, the news spread around the state of Texas. In Texas, starting right here in Galveston, all slaves were free.

Keep in mind that emancipation upended the entire economic system of the southern United States, including Texas, and especially as it related to the cotton industry. Not everyone in Texas was ready to accept the message, and Union troops needed to be present to truly enforce emancipation. In fact, newspapers in Texas reported at the time that Galveston was simply "being occupied by Union troops."

As these soldiers march across the state, enslaved people often receive the news from Black Union soldiers. Local historian Mr. Sam Collins III notes that "by January 1866, 75% of Union forces in Texas were United States Colored Troops." As the news spread over the next few months, newly freed people held festivities and celebrations all over the state. In Galveston, annual celebrations of Emancipation Day began the very next year in 1866. According to the Texas State Historical Association, "The first broader celebrations of Juneteenth were used as political rallies, and to teach the freed African Americans about their voting rights within a short time; however, Juneteenth was marked by festivities throughout the state, some of which were organized by official Juneteenth committees."

African Americans worked hard to purchase land and establish community spaces for local events, often christening the locations "Emancipation Park." These festivities often included public entertainment, barbecues, picnics, parades, and other fun for the whole family.

For over 160 years, Juneteenth has been kept alive by oral histories and deep-rooted community traditions. Annual celebrations have become commonplace all over the United States. In 1979, Texas became the first state to establish Juneteenth as an official holiday, and the first state-sponsored Juneteenth celebrations occurred the following year.

Over the next 40 years, the holiday gained political steam. On June 17th, 2021, the President of the United States approved the establishment of a new national holiday called Juneteenth National Independence Day. Thanks to the hard work of the Island's community, everyone can continue to commemorate America's second Independence Day.

As the birthplace of the holiday, Galveston continues to celebrate annually with a reenactment parade and a reading of the Emancipation Proclamation at Ashton Villa, as well as tons of other community events and festivities. Juneteenth started right here on Galveston Island, and today, it is celebrated all across the United States.