Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865 to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing enslaved people in seceded Confederate states. This date is now remembered as Juneteenth.
The Long Road to Freedom
The Emancipation Proclamation was issued as a preliminary order on September 22, 1862, after the Battle of Antietam, and as a final order on January 1, 1863. Word of the proclamation spread through informal networks, discussions by slaveholders in front of enslaved people, Black newspapers, abolitionist papers, and Black church groups.
Border States Remain Exempt
Border states (Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, Missouri, West Virginia) that remained in the Union were exempt from the proclamation, causing frustration among enslaved people there. Three border states ended slavery before the war ended; Delaware and Kentucky held out until the 13th Amendment in December 1865.
The Struggle for Enforcement
Enslaved people began escaping to Union lines as early as 1862, and Union soldiers distributed copies of the proclamation as they advanced. Juneteenth marks the moment when freedom became a reality for many enslaved people in Texas.