| U. S. Independence Day commemorates the Declaration of Independence, which was ratified by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States of America (USA). | Juneteenth National Independence Day commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans. It is a blended word of June and nineteenth and is celebrated on the anniversary of the order by Major General Gordon Granger proclaiming freedom for enslaved people in Texas on June 19, 1865 (2 ½ years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued). Recall that the Emancipation Proclamation (Proclamation 95) was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by then-United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863.
Originating in Galveston, Texas, Juneteenth was recognized as a federal holiday in 2021, when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law. |
