More than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, thousands of Black Americans remained enslaved by owners who refused to comply with the proclamation. On June 19, 1865, Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to enforce an order: All enslaved people in the state—more than 250,000 people—were free.
Celebrations of the day that came to be known as Juneteenth began as church-organized community gatherings in Texas. Today, 47 states and the District of Columbia recognize this important date as a holiday or special day of observance.
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