History Today: When the US changed for the better with 'Juneteenth'

As part of Firstpost’s History Today series, we take a look at three pivotal moments that took place on June 19: the historic Juneteenth in 1865, when slavery effectively ended in the US; the founding of Shiv Sena by Bal Thackeray in 1966; and the first Father’s Day celebration in 1910, honouring paternal bonds and fatherhood.

Juneteenth — America’s second Independence Day

On June 19, 1865, over two years after US President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, Major General Gordon Granger arrived at Galveston, Texas, to deliver General Order No. 3, which read:

“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 … The freedmen are advised to remain at their present homes, and work for wages.”

This decree represented the dramatic final stage in the enforcement of emancipation across the United States.

Although Lincoln’s 1863 proclamation formally abolished slavery in Confederate states, enforcement was delayed in remote regions like Texas due to the virtual absence of Union troops.

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Union forces, numbering around 2,000 soldiers, posted and read aloud the order, correcting years of neglect. News had circulated via newspapers like the Galveston Tri-Weekly News, but widespread compliance required federal enforcement.

Granger’s arrival initiated what many historians describe as a “scatter” — freed people began seeking kin, opportunities and asserting their newfound autonomy.

The first Juneteenth celebrations took place on June 19, 1866, in Texas. Communities gathered in churches or near bodies of water — both accessible meeting places — and celebrated with sermons, hymn singing, ornate meals, rodeos and baseball games.

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These observances expanded in the 1920s–30s to include educational programmes, parades, parks events and traditional “red foods” like velvet cake and drinks symbolising ancestral sacrifice.

Texas became the first state to recognise Juneteenth officially in 1980, following legislation championed by US Rep. Al Edwards in 1979.

By the late 20th and early 21st century, all 50 states plus DC had recognised the day in some capacity .

Following decades of activism — most notably by Opal Lee, known as the “grandmother of Juneteenth” — Congress passed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, and US President Joe Biden signed it into law on June 17, 2021, establishing Juneteenth as the 11th federal holiday and the first new one since Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Today, Juneteenth ceremonies blend celebration, remembrance and education. Typical activities include flag-raising, guest speakers, musical performances, story-telling and shared meals with red-themed items.

Flag symbolism — a red, white, and blue design with a star and nova representing Texas and African Americans — reaffirms the holiday’s national scope .

Many communities, including Galveston’s Ashton Villa site, host prayer breakfasts, readings of General Order No. 3, museum exhibits and historical reenactments.

Even in 2025, Juneteenth faces cultural and political debates. Some corporate sponsors have reduced funding amid backlash against diversity initiatives, while others — like Microsoft — have embraced the day with internal programmes highlighting racial equity and education.

Juneteenth represents not just emancipation but the continuity of freedom’s struggle. As scholar Mitch Kachun notes, the holiday serves three purposes: “to celebrate, to educate, and to agitate.”

It marks a moment when law became lived reality for Black Americans and highlights how progress often comes delayed and uneven.

Juneteenth also honours the agency of Black Americans — not merely as recipients of liberty but as active enforcers of their own freedom.

Soldiers, community leaders and everyday citizens were instrumental in shaping post-Civil War life, not just passive observers.

Bal Thackeray founds Shiv Sena

On June 19, 1966, Bal Keshav Thackeray, known as Balasaheb, launched the Shiv Sena in Mumbai.

Initially a cultural movement advocating for Marathi-language speakers, it soon adopted a hardline regional and nationalist platform.

Thackeray, a political cartoonist, leveraged his satirical magazine Marmik to rally support against perceived threats from southern Indian migrants.

Shiv Sena’s symbol — a roaring tiger — and its rhetoric, including “pungi bajaao, lungi bhagao,” tapped into anti-immigrant sentiment.

Though initially apolitical, it quickly became politically powerful, entering alliance with BJP in 1989 and influencing Mumbai’s municipal and Maharashtra state politics.

Its legacy is mixed — credited with championing Marathi identity and infrastructure but criticised for intolerance and communal politics.

First Father’s Day celebration

June 19, 1910 marked the first Father’s Day in Spokane, Washington, organised by Sonora Smart Dodd to honour her widowed Civil War–veteran father, William Jackson Smart.

With backing from the Spokane Ministerial Alliance and YMCA, local churches held sermons and passed out roses.

The event was endorsed by the city’s mayor and the state governor.

Although popularity waned, Sonora persisted through decades until 1966, when US President Lyndon B Johnson recognised it nationally, and in 1972, Richard Nixon signed it into permanent law for the third Sunday in June.

With inputs from agencies