The importance of Juneteenth - the day that true freedom came for all slaves in America

The holiday was first celebrated in Texas. It was on June 19th, 1865 when the last slaves were declared free under the terms of the 1862 Emancipation Proclamation. After the announcement, newly freed slaves in texas organized the first annual celebration of what they called "Jubilee Day.” Early celebrations were used as political rallies to give voting instructions to newly freed slaves.