ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Next Tuesday is the anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 that freed the slaves held in confederate states.
However, the executive order did not include pro-union border states like Missouri. Also, slaves in Texas were not freed because there weren't enough union troops there to enforce the president’s proclamation.
The Missouri History Museum notes it was June 19th, 1865 that union soldiers led Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas, and told those who were still held captive that they were free.
The celebration of that date is called Juneteenth, the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the U.S.
This evening, The Missouri History Museum, in collaboration with the St. Louis Inner City Culture Center Enterprise will hold a Juneteenth Celebration on the north lawn of the Museum. It is a family-friendly outdoor festival featuring live entertainment.