Also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, Juneteenth is a US holiday that commemorates the day when the slaves of Texas learned that they were legally free. Although President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation was formally issued on Jan 1, 1863, it had little immediate effect on slaves' day-to-day lives. In Texas, it was not until June 19, 1865, when Union General Gordon Granger and 2,000 federal troops took over the state, that it was enforced. How is Juneteenth often celebrated? Discuss...
First Juneteenth Celebrations (1865) (http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Juneteenth)