Juneteenth, official name of federal holiday Juneteenth National Independence Day, also called Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Black Independence Day, and Juneteenth Independence Day, holiday celebrating the end of slavery in the United States, observed annually on June 19.
Federal Holiday - Federal holidays in the United States are the eleven calendar dates that are designated by the U.S. government as holidays. On U.S. federal holidays, non-essential federal government offices are closed and federal government employees are paid for the holiday.
In 1863, during the American Civil War, Pres. Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared more than three million slaves living in the Confederate states to be free. More than two years had passed, before the news reached African Americans living in Texas. It was not until Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, that the state’s residents finally learned that slavery had been abolished. The former slaves immediately began to celebrate with prayer, feasting, song, and dance.
Emancipation Proclamation - Emancipation Proclamation, edict issued by U.S. Pres. Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, that freed the slaves of the Confederate states in rebellion against the Union.
Edict - An offical order or statement issued by somebody in a position of power.
Confederate States - belonging to a union of states, groups of people or political parties with the same aim (a confederacy).
What Is the History of Juneteenth?
The following year, on June 19, the first official Juneteenth celebrations took place in Texas. The original observances included prayer meetings and the singing of spirituals, and celebrants wore new clothes as a way of representing their newfound freedom. Within a few years, African Americans in other states were celebrating the day as well, making it an annual tradition. Celebrations have continued across the United States into the 21st century and typically include prayer and religious services, speeches, educational events, family gatherings and picnics, and festivals with music, food, and dancing.
"Coming year" and "following year"
"Coming year" and "following year" both refer to "the year happening next."
"Following year" is used in situations in which an order of time is established or implied and is used in writing using present, past, and future tenses. For instance:
"She found a good job and moved into a new house the following year."
In the above example, the timeline involves finding a good job during one year and then finding a house the next.
Here's another example:
"We met again the following year."
Here again and following work together to suggest that the meeting happened in two years, one after the next.
Using the present tense:
"The following year I have plans to attend law school."
Using the future tense:
"We will have less funding in the following year."
"Coming year," on the other hand, is used when discussing what will be happening during the next year and is used in writing using the present tense and future tense. (It is sometimes used in the past tense, but not as
often.) Here are two examples using "coming year":
"The company has many plans for the coming year."
"I will be attending law school in the coming year."
You might want to think of the adjective coming as meaning "that is about to come," which might then make the phrase "coming year" more understandable and clear in your mind. It would mean "the year that is about to come."
Juneteenth became a state holiday in Texas in 1980, and a number of other states subsequently followed suit. In 2021 Juneteenth was made a federal holiday. The day is also celebrated outside the United States, being used by organizations in a number of countries to recognize the end of slavery and to honour the culture and achievements of African Americans.
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