By Jordan Meadows
Staff Writer
The struggle against slavery in the United States began well before the Civil War. As early as 1789, organizations like the Pennsylvania Society for the Abolition of Slavery sought to improve conditions for free Blacks and abolish slavery. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 was an early attempt by Congress to manage the spread of slavery by prohibiting it north of the Missouri border.
In the 1830s, abolitionist voices grew louder. William Lloyd Garrison began publishing The Liberator in 1831, demanding the immediate end of slavery. That same year, Nat Turner’s Rebellion in Virginia revealed the desperation and resistance among the enslaved. The American Anti-Slavery Society was founded in 1833, while Congress passed the “Gag Rule” in 1836 to prevent debate on anti-slavery petitions, showing the nation’s deep divisions.
Literature like Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1851–52) and political violence—such as the 1856 caning of Senator Charles Sumner—deepened sectional tensions. The Dred Scott decision in 1857 ruled that Black Americans could not be citizens, further inflaming abolitionists. Finally, John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859, though unsuccessful, foreshadowed the coming conflict over slavery.
When Abraham Lincoln was elected president on November 6, 1860, Southern states feared the abolition of slavery. South Carolina seceded in December, followed by ten more states, forming the Confederate States of America in early 1861. The war officially began in April 1861, after Confederate forces attacked Fort Sumter.
Though initially hesitant to interfere with slavery, Union policies began to shift. In May 1861, General Benjamin Butler declared escaped slaves “contraband of war,” enabling them to work for the Union. That same year, Congress passed the First Confiscation Act and abolished slavery in federal territories. These actions signaled a growing willingness to challenge slavery.
In 1862, Lincoln introduced a plan for compensated emancipation and signed laws abolishing slavery in Washington, D.C. and prohibiting the return of escaped slaves. The Second Confiscation Act (July 1862) freed slaves of disloyal owners, and Congress authorized the use of Black soldiers.
Following the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln issued the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, warning that on January 1, 1863, all slaves in rebellious states would be declared free. He followed through with the Final Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, which also authorized the enlistment of Black soldiers. It did not free all slaves—those in border states and certain Union-held Confederate areas remained enslaved—but it changed the nature of the war.
Black soldiers played key roles in the war, from Fort Wagner to the Bureau of Colored Troops, established in May 1863. Victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg bolstered Union momentum, and Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address reaffirmed national commitment to equality.
In 1864, the Senate passed the 13th Amendment, and battles like the Overland Campaign and the fall of Atlanta contributed to Lincoln’s re-election. As the war drew to a close, the Union pushed for complete abolition.
In January 1865, General William T. Sherman’s Field Order No. 15 promised land to freed people in the South. The House of Representatives passed the 13th Amendment that same month, sending it to the states for ratification.
The Civil War ended on April 9, 1865, when Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox. Lincoln’s assassination just days later left the task of Reconstruction to his successors.
Although the war was over, slavery persisted in some areas, especially in remote Confederate states like Texas. Many slaveholders there ignored the Emancipation Proclamation and delayed freeing enslaved people. It wasn’t until June 19, 1865, that Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, with Union troops—including thousands of Black soldiers of the 25th Army Corps—and issued General Order No. 3, formally announcing freedom for all enslaved people in Texas.
This day became known as Juneteenth, a blend of “June” and “nineteenth,” commemorating the belated enforcement of emancipation in one of the last holdouts of slavery in the United States.
Despite the official end of slavery, the struggle for civil rights continued for generations. Juneteenth became an annual tradition in Black communities across the country, celebrated with parades, speeches, church services, music, and family gatherings.
Texas made Juneteenth an official holiday in 1980, and over 40 states followed suit in recognizing its significance. Finally, on June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed a bill declaring Juneteenth a federal holiday, acknowledging its enduring importance in American history.
