Juneteenth (June 19)
Juneteenth is a national holiday that recognizes the end of slavery in the United States.
In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. The Emancipation
Proclamation said the enslaved people in the Southern states were free. Slavery did not actually end until the Civil War ended in 1865. On June 19, 1865, enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, became the last to learn that they were free. This is why June 19th is called Juneteenth.
Independence Day, or the Fourth of July, celebrates the Declaration of Independence, or the birth of the nation.
The Declaration of Independence announced America's independence from Britain. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence as a statement of freedom from unfair treatment from Great Britain. The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776.
The Declaration of Independence highlights the importance of self- government in the United States. It also inspired many countries around the world to declare their own freedom.
Every year we celebrate Independence Day on July 4.
Military honor guard at a Veteran's Day parade.
ONE NATION, ONE PEOPLE: THE USCIS CIVICS TEST TEXTBOOK
Independence Day celebrations at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.