We honor and celebrate Juneteenth, the date when on June 19, 1865, Union Major General Gordon Granger read General Order No. 3, the enforcement of Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, to enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas. This moment publicly announced the end of the Civil War and the abolition of slavery with Union troops there to enforce it.
Today we recognize the dedication and work of our colleagues at the ground-breaking Harriet Tubman Museum in Cape May, NJ. They are working to preserve and educate the public about Harriet Tubman’s life in Cape May in the early 1850s, and to highlight the role members of the Cape May community played in the fight against slavery.
Though the museum’s scheduled opening for today, Juneteenth 2020, has been postponed due to the outbreak of COVID-19, we celebrate and remember Harriet Tubman’s abolition work in Cape May.
Resources:
Hear stories about the life of Harriet Tubman by Lesa Cline-Ransome, author of Before She Was Harriet.
Topic: History
Age / Level: Elementary, Middle