When Freedom Came: Remembering the Origins of Juneteenth

June 19, 2024

As we come into the season for exploring and celebrating Americanism, it's important to remember that the promises of freedom have ebbed and flowed to different groups in different ways. No other group in the United States has a more delicate relationship with freedom than African Americans. In 2021, Juneteenth was recognized as a federal holiday — an event with long-standing roots in Texas Black history with important connections for modern celebrations.

When did slavery in the United States come to an end? Generally, most people believe that the January 1, 1863 Emancipation Proclamation by Abraham Lincoln freed all enslaved Africans and African Americans in the country at one time. In reality, freedom came slowly over time for most people. The Emancipation Proclamation, a wartime measure, explicitly freed men, women and children in Confederate-occupied territories — places that were taken over by the Union earlier in the war, like New Orleans, Louisiana, were not considered free places. Of course, enforcement of the condition of slavery was lacking in these spaces, and thousands of self-emancipating people flocked to Union camps and occupied cities, knowing that their chance at freedom was better with President Lincoln's Army.

Despite the declaration of emancipation in the Confederacy, freedom was dependent on the word getting out from Union soldiers directly. In a world before cellphones, email and the internet, a vulnerable population like enslaved people, who were not allowed to read and write in most places, would be dependent on their enslavers to share news of events. Groups on the far edges of the confederacy who still needed to exploit the labor of their enslaved workforce often kept people in bondage well beyond Lincoln's announcement. In these cases, it wasn't until Union troops arrived in the area that the end of slavery was not only acknowledged but made a physical fact within these communities.

Juneteenth recognizes June 19, 1865, when Army Major. General Gordon Granger marched his troops into Galveston, Texas, and read out loud for all to hear that freedom for all was now the law — over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was announced, two months after the end of the Civil War and four months after the ratification of the 13th Amendment.

Joint Resolution of the United States Congress, Proposing the 13th Amendment to Abolish Slavery, 1865 / THF118475

The first Juneteenth in Galveston was celebrated June 19, 1866 with particular traditions that have survived today. These few key elements included: food items that are red in color, reflections on the resilience of enslaved people, a celebration of freedom, and uplifting of Black economic and community power. Red symbolizes the blood of Africans and their descendants in America, shed through the international and domestic slavery trade. This color is reflected in foods eaten at these celebrations, like red velvet cake, smoked barbecue, watermelon and some kind of red drink that could be something floral like hibiscus, a native African flower used to make an iced tea, or something more sugary sweet.

Author and chef Nicole A. Taylor published Watermelon & Red Birds: A Cookbook for Juneteenth and Black Celebrations in 2022, the first of many cookbooks to explore Juneteenth published by major presses. Taylor explores the essential food history of Juneteenth and gives us some new spins on these wonderful delicacies.

Watermelon & Red Birds: A Cookbook for Juneteenth and Black Celebrations

Today, Juneteenth celebrations occur all over the country, providing an excellent opportunity to explore the uniqueness of Black American culture, taste amazing delicacies and reflect on our collective future with an eye toward freedom and liberty for all.