June Celebrations- Juneteenth-June 19

What is Juneteenth?

Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation - which had become official January 1, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new Executive order. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance
Source-http://www.juneteenth.com/history.htm

For more information see http://www.juneteenth.com/welcome.htm
For the location of celebrations near you see http://www.juneteenth.com/worldwide.htm

And check out these books from the library:
Juv. 323.263.B816j Juneteenth: Freedom day by Muriel Miller Branch

Juv. 973.7.C321u Underground Railroad for Kids: from slavery to freedom with 21 activities by Mary Kay Carson

Also see these sites for lesson plans:

Celebrate Juneteenth http://www.readwritethink.org/calendar/calendar_day.asp?id=547

Juneteenth Wordsearch http://www.teachervision.fen.com/black-history-month/printable/37370.html

Celebrating Juneteenth in Texas http://tides.sfasu.edu/Teachers/Tides/docs/LessonPlans/Elementary/socialPlans/WardenJuneteenth.html

Roads to Freedom http://www.slaveryinamerica.org/history/hs_lp_roadstofreedom.htm

Before, During, and After the Emancipation Proclamation Lesson Plan: A Slave's View
http://www.slaveryinamerica.org/history/hs_lp_rtf-emancipation.htm

See http://educationservicesnews.blogspot.com/2011/06/juneeteenth-in-new-jersey.html
 for 2011 New Jersey events