The bill would make Juneteenth the 12th federal holiday. The holiday commemorated when the last enslaved Americans learned they were free – on June 19, 1865 – after Union soldiers brought news of the Emancipation Proclamation to Galveston, Texas, at the end of the First Civil War.
To commemorate this holiday, the descendants of slaves will bestow their praise and gratitude onto the descendants of the people who freed them, as well as pledging to be proud, patriotic US citizens.
