Today, June 19, marks the day that the last remaining slaves in the United States were freed. Even though slavery had been officially abolished in 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which became law on January 1, 1863, it took another two years for the last slaves to be freed.
That June day, when slavery ended, is known as Juneteenth. The year was 1865.
Juneteenth commemorates the day Union soldiers in Galveston, TX announced that the Civil War had ended and slaves were now free. Texas was part of the Confederacy and allowed slavery to continue after the Emancipation Proclamation took effect.
Union General Gordon Granger reportedly read aloud the contents of “General Order No. 3,†proclaiming the law throughout Texas.
The freedom of slaves affected communities nationwide, especially those located seaside in Southern California, as U.S. Census Bureau numbers showed a steady increase in California’s black population following Juneteenth.
Before Juneteenth, only 962 black people lived in California, according to census numbers from 1850 (during the California Gold Rush.) Then, in 1900, the census counted 11, 045 black people in California.
Census year
Total population in California
White population
Black population
Percentage of black population
1950Â
10,586,223
9,915,173
462,172
4.3
1930Â
5,677,251
5,408,260
81,048
1.4
1920Â
3,426,861
3,264,711
38,763
1.1
1910Â
2,377,549
2,259,672
21,645
.9
1900Â
1,485,053
1,402,727
11,045
.7
1880 Â
864,694
767,181
6,018
.6
1870 Â
560,247
499,424
4,272
.7
1850
92,597
91,635
962
1
(Source: U.S. Census Bureau’s historical census statistics on population totals by race)
Now California, along with 37 other states, recognizes Juneteenth as a state holiday.
You can learn more about Juneteenth and its significance in American history at the Manhattan Beach Library, which is open Monday-Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
On Thursday, the library is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday hours are 12 noon to 6 p.m., Saturday hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.Â
The library is closed Sundays.
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