Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day and Emancipation Day, is a holiday or observance in many U.S. states to celebrate the anniversary of the abolition of slavery in Texas on June 19, 1865. The observance commemorates the day on which Union soldiers, led by General Granger, enforced the Emancipation Proclamation and freed all remaining slaves in Texas. The news was delivered two and a half years after the executive order was effective. This day we celebrate.