On June 19, 1865 Major General Gordon Granger arrived at Galveston, Texas and informed the enslaved Blacks that the Civil war had ended and that they were now free. This was months after Robert E Lee surrendered at Appomattox in April 1865, and 2.5 years after Lincoln's signing of the emancipation Proclamation in January 1.1863. Texas Blacks were unaffected by the Proclamation because there were not enough Union troops in Texas to overcome Confederate resistance. After Lee's surrender, more troops could be freed up to go into Texas.

Why was there a 2.5 year delay? There are difficult to verify stories that slaveholders withheld the news of Lincoln's Proclamation so that the land owners could continue to reap benefits of the labor, or that the Union decided to let the Texans reap the benefits of one last cotton crop. There is even a story that the messenger carrying the news was murdered. The true reason for the delay is lost to history, but the lack of Union troop strength makes as much sense as any. 

Reactions to the news varied from shock to immediate jubilation. One thing that did happen was a large celebration in Galveston. The celebration spread through many townships in the South over the years, probably as a result of Galvestonian Blacks moving to other states. Today many cities have Juneteenth celebrations.

Yesterday the Senate unanimously passed a resolution apologizing for slavery and paving the way for a joint Congressional resolution to the same effect. The resolution means that the federal government is acknowledging it's role in 2.5 centuries of slavery in the United States. The Senate resolution's sponsor, Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) wanted the resolution to coincide with Juneteenth recognizing the significance of the date.

Happy Juneteenth

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/18/AR2009061803877.html

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