The Civil War was the deadliest conflict America has ever engaged in.
This war that began on April 12, 1861, and ended on April 9, 1865, resulted in approximately 620,000 deaths, a total that equals more than the combined American deaths in both World Wars.
It was a fight between the North and the South, the Union, and the Confederacy. President Abraham Lincoln had wanted to bring America back together, as the South were considering themself the Confederacy of America, even electing their own president. But as time went on and the war continued its deadly course, Lincoln knew there was no way to compromise, so it was no longer about preserving the Union, it was a fight for emancipation.
Over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared “All persons held as slaves… shall be then, thenceforth, and forever free” was issued and more than two months after Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered and Lincoln was assassinated, Texas still kept people enslaved and unaware of the fact that the Union had won, granting their freedom. It wasn’t until June 19th, 1865, that Union General Gordon Granger and his soldiers made their way into Galveston, Texas and he read aloud General Orders No. 3: “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, ‘all slaves are free’.” The 250,000 slaves in Texas felt many emotions at learning this. Some were shocked and could not believe it, others celebrated by praying, feasting, singing, or dancing.
Juneteenth, a mix of ‘June’ and ‘nineteenth,’ also known as Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, and Black Independence Day had its official celebration the following year in 1866. New clothes were worn to symbolize their new freedom, prayer meetings were held, and dedicated spaces were claimed for the celebration of Juneteenth. As the years went on and the newly freed Americans moved throughout the country, they spread their Juneteenth traditions, making it possible for entire communities to celebrate the day.
In Houston, Texas, the first official Emancipation Park was established in 1872.
On June 17, 2021, Juneteenth was officially made a federal holiday, when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law. Now, this day typically included prayer, religious services, speeches, education events, parades, family gatherings and picnics, festivals with music, dancing, and food, with the unofficial Black American national anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing” being performed often during these celebrations.
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1