Topline
More than one in four Americans say they know “nothing at all” about Juneteenth, an annual holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, according to a Gallup poll released Tuesday which also found Democrats are more likely to be supportive of and familiar with Juneteenth than Republicans.
The US marks the end of slavery by celebrating Juneteenth, with the annual unofficial holiday taking … [+]
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Key Facts
When asked how much they know about Juneteenth, 12% of all Americans say “a lot,” while 28% report they have no knowledge.
Nearly 70% of Black Americans say they have at least some knowledge about the holiday, compared to 31% of white Americans.
Roughly half (49%) of all Americans said they believe Juneteenth should be taught in public schools, with most others (35%) unsure or not familiar with the topic.
A partisan divide exists, as 74% of Democrats support making the topic part of public school curriculums, compared to only 17% of Republicans.
In fact, 31% of Republicans say they are opposed to the event being taught in history classes.
The poll was conducted between May 18-23 among a random sample of 3,572 U.S. adults.
Key Background
Juneteenth’s name, a portmanteau of “June” and “Nineteenth,” derives from events that took place in Texas on June 19, 1865. On that day, over two years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation and approximately two months after Confederate general Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox, Virginia, Union Gen. Gordon Granger, commander of the District of Texas, issued General Order No. 3, announcing the Civil War had concluded and that more than 250,000 enslaved Black people in Texas had been freed. The holiday is sometimes called Black Independence Day, Freedom Day or Emancipation Day. In 1980, Texas became the first U.S. state to make Juneteenth a holiday. There are now 45 states that recognize the day as either a state holiday, a day of observance, or commemoration.
Crucial Quote
“The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor,” reads the text of General Order, Number 3. “The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.”
What To Watch For
This year on June 19, Galveston will dedicate a 5,000-square-foot mural, entitled “Absolute Equality,” on the spot where Gen. Granger issued the orders.
Big Number
150,000: That’s the approximate number of slaves transported to Texas by slave owners in Mississippi, Louisiana, and surrounding areas after New Orleans was captured in 1862, according to historian Leon Litwack, to escape the advancing Union Army.
Tangent
A push by lawmakers to make Juneteenth a federal holiday gained momentum last year amid mass protests against systemic racism and a national reckoning over race in the wake of George Floyd’s death. Legislation introduced in 2020 received bipartisan support but was stalled in the Senate by Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin. He argued that the new federal holiday would cost taxpayers millions of dollars. According to Tuesday’s Gallup poll, 35% of Americans say Juneteenth should be made a national holiday, 25% say it shouldn’t, while a plurality (40%) are unsure.
Surprising Fact
The last time Congress added to the official holiday list was in November of 1983, when President Ronald Reagan signed a bill designating the third Monday of January as Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Further Reading
No More Excuses — It’s Time To Declare Juneteenth A Federal Holiday (Forbes)
FROM TEXAS; Important Orders by General Granger (NYT)
Been in the Storm So Long: The Aftermath of Slavery (Leon Litwack)
