Texas got the big news a little late. On June 19, 1865--nearly a month after the Civil War ended and more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation--General Gordon Granger of the Union Army landed at Galveston, Texas, and read aloud General Order No. 3: "The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free."
Spontaneous celebrations broke out in Galveston and spread around the state--and thus the holiday of "Juneteenth" began. Traditionally, the date has been marked in Texas with parades, picnics, dances...
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