Juneteenth: Fact Sheet
Updated July 14, 2020
Congressional Research Service
https://crsreports.congress.gov
R44865

Juneteenth: Fact Sheet

Introduction
Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in the United States. It is also known as Emancipation
Day, Juneteenth Independence Day, and Black Independence Day. On June 19, 1865, Major
General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, TX, and announced the end of the Civil War and
the end of slavery. Although the Emancipation Proclamation came 2½ years earlier on January 1,
1863, many slave owners continued to hold their slaves captive after the announcement, so
Juneteenth became a symbolic date representing African American freedom.
This fact sheet assists congressional offices with work related to Juneteenth. It contains sample
speeches and remarks from the Congressional Record, presidential proclamations and remarks,
and selected historical and cultural resources.
History
June 19, 1865, marks the date that Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, TX, and
announced the end of both the Civil War and slavery. His announcement, General Order Number
3 reads:
The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the
Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of
personal rights and rights of property, between former masters and slaves and the
connection heretofore existing between them, becomes that between employer and hired
labor. The Freedmen are advised to remain at their present homes and work for wages.
They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts; and they will
not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.
The 1865 date is largely symbolic. The Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Abraham
Lincoln, had legally freed slaves in Texas on January 1, 1863, almost 2½ years earlier. Even after
the general order, some slave masters withheld the information from their slaves, holding them as
slaves through one more harvest season.
Texans celebrated Juneteenth beginning in 1866, with community-centric events, such as parades,
cookouts, prayer gatherings, historical and cultural readings, and musical performances. Over
time, communities have developed their own traditions. Some communities purchased land for
Juneteenth celebrations, such as Emancipation Park in Houston, TX. As families emigrated from
Texas to other parts of the United States, they carried the Juneteenth celebrations with them.
On January 1, 1980, Juneteenth officially became a Texas state holiday. Al Edwards, a freshman
state representative, put forward the bill, H.B. 1016, making Texas the first state to grant this
emancipation celebration. Since then, 46 other states and the District of Columbia have also
commemorated or recognized the day.
Legislation
Although Juneteenth is not a federal holiday, most states and the District of Columbia have
passed legislation recognizing it as a holiday or observance.
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Table 1. States That Commemorate or Observe Juneteenth
State
Year of Recognition
Citation
Alabama
2011
2011 Ala. Adv. Legis. Serv. 398 (LexisNexis)
Alaska
2001
Alaska Stat. §44.12.090 (2001)
Arizona
2016
Ariz. Rev. Stat. §1-315 (LexisNexis 2016)
Arkansas
2005
Ark. Code Ann. §1-5-114 (2005)
California
2003
Cal. Gov’t Code §6719 (Deering 2003)
Colorado
2004
H.J.Res. 04-1027, 64th Gen. Assemb., 2nd Reg.
Sess. (Co. 2004)
Connecticut
2003
Conn. Gen. Stat. §10-29a(a)(48) (2003)
Delaware
2000
Del. Code Ann. tit. 1, §604 (2000)
District of Columbia
2003
Res. 160, 15th Counsel, 2003 D.C.
Florida
1991
Fla. Stat. §683.21(1991)
Georgia
2011
S.Res. 164, 151st Gen. Assemb., Reg. Sess (Ga. 1991)
Idaho
2001
S.Con.Res. 101, 56th Leg., Reg. Sess. (Idaho
2001)
Il inois
2003
5 Ill. Comp. Stat. 490/63 (2003)
Indiana
2010
H.Con.Res. 38, 116th Gen. Assemb., 2d Reg. Sess.
(Ind. 2010)
Iowa
2002
Iowa Code §1C.14 (2002)
Kansas
2007
S.Res. 1860, 82nd Leg., Reg. Sess. (Kan. 2007)
Kentucky
2005
Ky. Rev. Stat. §2.147 (LexisNexis 2005)
Louisiana
2003
La. Stat. Ann. §1:58:2 (2003)
Maine
2011
Me. Stat. tit. 1, §150-H (2011)
Maryland
2014
Md. Code Ann., Gen. Prov. §7-411 (LexisNexis
2014)
Massachusetts
2007
Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 6, §15BBBBB (2007)
Michigan
2005
Mich. Comp. Laws §435.361 (2005)
Minnesota
1996
Minn. Stat. §10.55 (1996)
Mississippi
2010
S.Con.Res. 605, 2010 Leg., Reg. Sess. (Miss. 2010)
Missouri
2003
Mo. Rev. Stat. §9.161 (2003)
Montana
2017
Mont. Code Ann. §1-1-231 (2017)
Nebraska
2009
Leg.Res. 75, 101st Leg., Reg. Sess. (Neb. 2009)
Nevada
2011
Nev. Rev. Stat. §236.033 (2011)
New Hampshire
2019
N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. §14:13-z (LexisNexis
2019)
New Jersey
2004
N.J. Rev. Stat. §36:2-80 (2004)
New Mexico
2006
N.M. Stat. Ann. §12-5-14 (2006)
New York
2004
N.Y. Exec. Law §168-a(3) (LexisNexis 2004)a
North Carolina
2007
2007 N.C. Sess. Laws 450
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State
Year of Recognition
Citation
Ohio
2006
Ohio Rev. Code Ann. §5.2234 (LexisNexis
2006)b
Oklahoma
1994
Okla. Stat. tit. 25, §82.4 (1994)
Oregon
2001
S.J.Res. 31, 71st Leg. Assemb. (Or. 2001)c
Pennsylvania
2019
2019 Pa. ALS 9
Rhode Island
2012
S.B. 2262, 2011-2012 Leg. Sess. (R.I. 2011)d
South Carolina
2008
S.C. Code Ann. §53-3-85 (2008)
Tennessee
2007
2007 Bil Text TN H.J.R. 170
Texas
1980
Tex. Gov’t Code Ann. §662.003 (LexisNexis
1999)e
Utah
2016
Utah Code Ann. §63G-1-401(1)(g) (LexisNexis
2016)
Vermont
2007
Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 1, §375 (2007)
Virginia
2007
H.Res. 56, 2007 Sess. (Va. 2007)f
Washington
2007
Wash. Rev. Code §1.16.050(7)(l) (2007)
West Virginia
2008
H.Res. 19, 78th Leg., 2d Sess. (W. Va. 2008)
Wisconsin
2009
Wis. Stat. §995.20 (2009)
Wyoming
2003
Wyo. Stat. Ann. §8-4-107 (2003)
Source: Table compiled by the Congressional Research Service (CRS).
Notes: This table includes the first instance of a state’s recognition of Juneteenth or the first legislation that
established Juneteenth as a state holiday. It excludes legislation adopted by states after the initial observation
year. For example, Kansas adopted multiple resolutions, such as S.Res. 1866 (2007), S.Res. 1888 (2009), S.Res.
1865 (2011), and S.Res. 1754 (2015), subsequent to the original commemoration.
Bolded legislation citations denote that the legislation established Juneteenth as a state holiday. This includes days
of observance and does not necessarily mean that they are legal holidays. Non-bolded legislation citations are
commemorations or recognitions of the day’s significance.
States without links do not have publicly available versions of the bil or resolution online. Copies can be found
on Lexis Advanced or requested from CRS.
a. See also 2020 Bil Text NY E.O. 53 recognizing June 19, 2020 as a holiday for state employees in recognition
of Juneteenth.
b. Ohio introduced 2019 Bil Text OH S.B. 334 on June 29, 2020 to establish Juneteenth as a permanent state
holiday.
c. Oregon’s governor announced her intention to introduce legislation to establish Juneteenth as an official
state holiday in 2021.recent years, the Senate has passed annual resolutions recognizing June 19 as
Juneteenth Independence Day
d. See also S. B. 169, 2013-2014 Leg. Sess. (R.I. 2013) establishing the recognition of Juneteenth annually.
e. See also H.B. 1016, 66th Reg. Sess. (Tex. 1980).
f.
See also H. J. Res. 5074A, 2006 Spec. Sess. (Va. 2006) commending celebrations and 2020 Bil Text VA E.O.
25 establishing Juneteenth as a permanent state holiday.
In recent years, the Senate has passed annual resolutions recognizing June 19 as Juneteenth
Independence Day:
S.Res. 253 (116th Cong.)
S.Res. 547 (115th Cong.)
S.Res. 214 (115th Cong.)
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Juneteenth: Fact Sheet

S.Res. 500 (114th Cong.)
The House of Representatives has introduced similar resolutions:
H.Res. 450 (116th Cong.)
H.Res. 948 (115th Cong.)
H.Res. 386 (115th Cong.)
H.Res. 787 (114th Cong.)
Sample Congressional Speeches and Recognitions
Members of Congress often make floor statements, issue press releases, or enter Extensions of
Remarks into the Congressional Record to recognize federal holidays and observances. The
following are some recent examples that may be of assistance in preparing such statements:
Senator Benjamin L. Cardin, “Juneteenth,” remarks in the Senate, Congressional Record, daily
edition, vol. 166 (June 18, 2020), pp. S3098-S3099.
Representative Antonio Delgado, “Recognizing Juneteenth,” Extensions of Remarks,
Congressional Record, daily edition, vol. 165 (June 19, 2019), p. E769.
Senators Bill Nelson and Cory Booker, “Juneteenth Independence Day,” remarks in the Senate,
Congressional Record, daily edition, vol. 164 (June 19, 2018), pS4032-S4033.
Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, “Commemorating Juneteenth,” remarks in the House of
Representatives, Congressional Record, daily edition, vol. 162 (June 19, 2018), pp. H5274-
H5275.
Representative Brian Babin, “Celebrating Juneteenth 2017,” Extensions of Remarks,
Congressional Record, daily edition vol. 163 (June 15, 2017), p. E828.
Senator Harry Reid, “Celebrating Juneteenth,” remarks in the Senate, Congressional Record,
daily edition, vol. 162 (June 16, 2016), p. S4258.
Representative Jeb Hensarling, “Hensarling Commemorates Juneteenth,” press release, June 19,
2015.
Representative Julia Brownley, “Recognizing Ventura County’s 24th Annual Juneteenth
Celebration,” Extensions of Remarks, Congressional Record, daily edition, vol. 160 (June 19,
2014), p. E1023.
Presidential Proclamations and Remarks
One of the many uses of a presidential proclamation is to ceremoniously honor a group or call
attention to certain issues or events. Some proclamations and remarks commemorating Juneteenth
from the Compilation of Presidential Documents include the following:
Statements and Messages by the President—Donald H. Trump (2018- )
Statements by the President—Barack H. Obama (2010-2017)
Messages from the President—George W. Bush (2002-2009)
Addresses and Remarks—William J. Clinton (1994-2001)
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Historical and Cultural Resources
Numerous resources provide information on the history and culture of the holiday. Some of these
include the following:
Smithsonian, “Juneteenth: Our Other Independence Day.” This blog post includes pictures of
Major General George Granger and the house from which he read General Order Number 3.
Library of Congress, “Juneteenth.” This blog post includes links to several interviews with former
slaves about their memories of gaining their freedom.
Texas State Historical Association, “Juneteenth.” A longer narrative of the history of Juneteenth.
National Archives and Records Administration, “The Emancipation Proclamation.” The original,
handwritten document.

Author Information

Molly Higgins

Reference and Digital Services Librarian

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