Editor's note: This article was originally published June 16, 2020 and updated June 19, 2020 with the Juneteenth proclamation from Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams.

There are several historical dates that people believe heralded the end of slavery in the United States of America. Some point to the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, though this decree only freed slaves in the Confederate States still at war with the Union. If the slaves were held in the border states that were part of the Union, or in a Confederate State already under Union rule, the Emancipation Proclamation did not free those slaves. The Proclamation served as a signal to the South and the world that the United States of America was committed to ending the practice of chattel slavery.

Another date that many reference as the end of slavery is the surrender at Appomattox Court House by Confederate General Robert E. Lee on April 9, 1865, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. This was the official last stand of both General Lee and Major General John B. Gordon bringing the American Civil War to an end.

Many recognize June 19, 1865, as the date that ended slavery. Texas, at the time, was the furthest west of the Confederate States. Union Major General Gordon Granger read General Order Number 3 in Galveston ending slavery. By December 2, 1865, eight months after the end of the war, the United States ratified the 13th Amendment effectually abolishing slavery in the United States of America.

On June 19, 1866, a large-scale celebration was coordinated in Galveston, and the celebrations continue today. Many Black Americans equate Juneteenth, which is also called Emancipation Day, to American Independence Day. While the celebrations started in Texas there are now celebrations in all 50 states and internationally.

Click here to browse Arlington Public Library resources to learn more about Juneteenth.