National holiday declared on Juneteenth, US President Joe Biden passes legislation; Know what is the history of this day
On June 19, 1865, two months after the end of the American Civil War, Major General Gordon Granger, on behalf of the victorious Union, arrived in Galveston Texas and issued orders to free the last enslaved people on American soil.
Staff Editor 
US President Joe Biden on Thursday passed a law establishing June 19 as a national holiday. This year it is falling on Saturday so government employees will be on holiday on Friday. There was a demand for bringing this bill for a long time. After the Black Lives Matter protest after the murder of black George Floyd, the demand for this law started increasing even more.
Earlier, the House passed the bill with 415-14 votes after the Senate passed the law unanimously. According to The Hill, Joe Biden said at a signing ceremony at the White House, "Great nations don't ignore their most painful moments... they embrace them." Great nations do not run away but admit their mistakes. Remembering those moments, we begin to heal and become stronger.'
He added, 'The truth is, that's not enough to convince Juneteenth. The emancipation of so far enslaved black Americans did not mark the end of America's work to fulfill the promise of equality, it is only the beginning. To honor the true meaning of the day of Juneteenth, we have to keep that promise because we are not there yet.'
On June 19, 1865, two months after the end of the Civil War, Major General Gordon Granger, on behalf of the victorious Union, arrived in Galveston, Texas, and issued orders to free the last enslaved people on American soil.
It is known that before this, Juneteenth was officially celebrated in many US states and the District of Columbia, but despite years of lobbying by civil rights organizations, June 19 did not become a national holiday.
America's old Juneteenth festival marks the end of more than two decades of slavery in the country. It started on 19 June 1866. It has been given this name by combining the 19th and the month of June. On this date slavery was abolished in America. It is known as Liberation Day and Independence Day. Former President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. He had formally freed all the slaves only two years ago.
