Juneteenth festival was celebrated in the U.S.

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Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the U.S. commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans.

• Juneteenth is the oldest national commemoration to mark the end of the end of slavery in America, held annually on June 19.

• It is currently recognized as a holiday by 47 US states.

• It is also known as Liberation Day or Juneteenth Independence Day.

• History of Juneteenth

• On January 1, 1863, then-President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring that all persons 'held as slaves' within the states during the rebellion would now be free.

• However, many people continued to keep slaves even after this announcement. After this, on June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger Galveston announced the end of both the Civil War and slavery.

• Since then it has become a symbolic date representing independence for African-Americans.