Juneteenth: Freedom Day: Read and Explore

View scans of the Emancipation Proclamation and the original General Order 3, informing the people of Texas that all enslaved persons in the state were now free. General order 3 was issued on June 19th, 1865, which has come to be know as Juneteenth, and is the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.

A digital exhibit of documents and tintype photographs from the Kinsey African American Art & History Collection, providing context to the road leading up to and after Juneteenth.

Explore the history and legacy of Juneteenth with the help of the National Museum of African American History & Culture. This digital collection includes videos, photographs, recipes, archival documents and more.

This video is a recording of a symposium held on Juneteenth 2015 at the Library of Congress. The program included a history of Juneteenth and three panels on "The State of Black Literature," "The "Stakeholders of Black Literacy" and "Independent Artists: Our Journey as Storytellers of the African Diaspora."

In 1862, the Union Army occupied Fredericksburg, VA. Throughout the region, the enslaved saw the arrival of the Federal forces as an opportunity for freedom. By mid-September 1862, at least 10,000 freedom-seekers passed through the area, traveling thousands of miles by foot, wagon and rail, months prior to the Emancipation Proclamation on their way to Washington, DC and beyond. Trail to Freedom retraces the routes of these freedom-seekers.