In Our History Podcast

What is Juneteenth? Juneteeth is an American holiday that commemorates the June 19, 1865, announcement of the abolition of slavery in the U.S. state of Texas, and more generally the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans throughout the former Confederacy of the southern United States. A lot of people think that independence day was the day that Lincoln signed the emancipation proclamation freeing all slaves in 1862. However, the proclamation was ignored by the southern states that had succeeded from the union. Plus, the proclamation didn’t apply Texas, which was a slave-holding states but did not rebel against the union and as a result over 200,000 slaves were still in bondage throughout Texas in 1865. Five Minute Friday is something we do each week to keep you in the loop about what’s going on in the news. It's important to be informed because if we don’t know what’s going on in the world, we will be less likely to engage in conversation or formulate opinions. Your opinion shapes your reality and it's