Highlights Archives
A Celebration of African-American Freedom
Juneteenth, or June 19, is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States. From its origins in Galveston, Texas, in 1865, the observance of African-American freedom has spread across the nation, including Wisconsin, where one of the largest celebrations is held each year in Milwaukee.
For many African Americans, Juneteenth has come to symbolize freedom in the same way that the Fourth of July does for all Americans, black and white. Yet unlike the Fourth, Juneteenth reminds us that African Americans were still enslaved when the United States declared its independence in 1776.
On June 19, 1865, Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger landed at Galveston, Texas, with news that the war had ended and that the slaves were free — two and a half years after President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, which had become official on January 1, 1863. Although members of the 20th Wisconsin Infantry were present in Galveston that day, none were directly involved in the emancipation of Texas slaves. Wisconsin soldiers were involved in the freeing of other slaves though, including one, Old Steve, who found his way to the 4th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry near Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in June 1862.
Wearing the iron collar placed around his neck as punishment, Old Steve had escaped from his owner who had locked him in a small structure called a calaboose with another slave, Charley. Wisconsin soldiers removed his iron collar by filing off one of the rivets that held the collar closed. See the collar, one of many objects in our Museum's collections. John T. Perry of Company I, 4th Wisconsin, witnessed the collar's removal and writes more about Old Steve's life in the camp after his escape. That same year, another slave, Peter Thomas, joined the 15th Wisconsin Infantry after Wisconsin troops liberated the 1000-acre plantation where he lived in Tennessee.
Juneteenth Today
Until the late 1960s and '70s, Juneteenth was primarily celebrated within African-American communities in the South. The Civil Rights movement helped to draw attention to the historical struggles for racial equality faced by African Americans. Juneteenth received another strong push from the Poor People's March to Washington, D.C., in 1968, after the Rev. Ralph Abernathy called for people of all races, economic classes and professions to come show support for the poor. When they returned home, many of the attendees initiated Juneteenth celebrations in areas that had never celebrated the occasion before, including cities in Wisconsin. Today, Juneteenth celebrates the history, culture, accomplishments and freedom of African Americans, acknowledging an important part of American history and society.
Learn more about African Americans in Wisconsin:
:: Posted June 16, 2005
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