That was the date... communications being what they were at the time, word had not reached there until then.
Granger 'had no idea that, in establishing the Union Army's authority over the people of Texas, he was also establishing the basis for a holiday, 'Juneteenth' ('June' plus 'nineteenth').'
In Texas, some slaveholders didn't deliver the news to the people they held in bondage or simply failed to treat them as free, even though Granger's proclamation said former slaves should be considered 'hired labor' and paid wages.
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