Juneteenth: The Historical Significance of June 19

By |2019-06-19T06:00:23-04:00June 19, 2019|

Juneteenth is an American holiday that commemorates the announcement of the abolition of slavery in Texas on June 19, 1865. But it’s come to have a broader meaning, celebrating the freedom of all black slaves.

The date became even more important when the Civil Rights Act was passed on June 19, 1964.

But that’s just the iceberg’s tip. By coincidence, several momentous events in American Civil Rights history have occurred on or near June 19. As part of James A. Garfield National Historic Site‘s Civil War series, Site Manager Todd Arrington leads us on a time-traipsing tour of these memorable Juneteenths.

Our Civil War series continues at noon on Wednesday, July 10, at our Main Branch. We’ll discuss the Battle of Gettysburg. As always, the talk is free and open to all.

By the way, if you’re interested in Civil War history, several talks in our Civil War series can be viewed online in their entirety, including: