It took a while. But the most recent federal holiday to be added to the calendar, it turns out, is the most American holiday yet.
That holiday, Juneteenth, is today. It celebrates the abolition of chattel slavery in the U.S., marked by June 19, 1865—the day Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger informed slaves in Galveston, Texas, that they were free. It was the final major enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Confederate territory, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln had signed it. Some enslaved people would remain in bondage until the 13th Amendment was ratified in December of that year, but June 19 has come to symbolize America's attempt to move past one of its darkest stains.
The American project is, in historical terms, relatively young. At its core, it's an experiment. It is constantly evolving, owning its mistakes and trying to live up to its original promises in more robust ways. Juneteenth is, in one sense, a reminder of those intense growing pains—especially when remembering the enormous hurdles former slaves still faced in society after 1865—and the country's willingness to try to overcome them. Freedom didn't fully arrive that day, but it represents America's desire to improve, to correct grave errors, and to live up more faithfully to the country's founding ideals.
