What is Emancipation Day? When does Florida celebrate the abolition of slavery?
Emancipation Day is celebrated at different times throughout the United States, with the most common celebration being Juneteenth. Florida, however, celebrates a month earlier.
Here, it's recognized on May 20 as Emancipation Day, marking when slavery was abolished in 1865.
Although President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation Jan. 1, 1863, it took two years for it to take effect. Confederate states did not accept the Emancipation Proclamation until they surrendered to the Union, ending the Civil War on April 9, 1865.
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Why is Emancipation Day May 20?
When the Civil War ended, Union troops began their trek into Confederate states to enforce the 2 1/2-year-old Emancipation Proclamation.
On May 10, 1865, Union Gen. Ed McCook arrived in Leon County to receive the surrender of the Confederate troops. After 10 days, McCook read the Emancipation Proclamation in Tallahassee, informing enslaved people they were now free.
Black people began celebrating emancipation in Florida annually after 1865, according to the nonprofit organization Florida Humanities. In 1997, Florida recognized May 20 as a statewide celebration.
Is Emancipation Day the same as Juneteenth?
Both holidays celebrate the same event, just on different days.
Juneteenth — derived from the combination of the month and day — often is referred to as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Emancipation Day, Independence Day or Black Independence Day.
It is observed on different days because of the time it took for Union generals to reach Southern states after the war ended. The last Confederate state to abolish slavery was Texas on June 19, 1865, when Union Gen. Gordan Granger read the proclamation in Galveston.
In 1980, Texas was one of the first states to commemorate Juneteenth, when it became a state holiday, four decades before Congress recognized it.
Juneteenth became a federal holiday on June 17, 2021, when President Joe Biden signed Bill S. 475 into law.
Gianna Montesano is TCPalm's trending reporter. You can contact her at gianna.montesano@tcpalm.com, 772-409-1429, or follow her on Twitter @gmontesano13.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: What is Emancipation Day and when is it celebrated in Florida?
