AL HJR916

U.S. Army Major General Gordon Granger delivered General Order Number 3 on June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, officially ending slavery and establishing the oldest known celebration of emancipation in the United States.

The Emancipation Proclamation issued January 1, 1863, had minimal impact on enslaved people in Texas due to insufficient Union troops to enforce it until General Lee's surrender in April 1865.

Juneteenth, combining "June" and "nineteenth," became an official Texas state holiday on January 1, 1980, and subsequently was adopted by other states.

The celebration experienced renewed popularity during the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, and continued growing throughout the 1980s and 1990s, celebrating African-American freedom and encouraging respect for all cultures.

The Alabama Legislature recognizes the historical significance of June 19, 1865, and extends best wishes to participants in the Juneteenth celebration on June 19, 2011.